Enterprise 5.5 SP1 Content Administrator Guide

Saba Enterprise 5.5 Service Pack 1

Content Administrator Guide

Notice

Limitations on Warranties and Liability

Saba Software, Inc. reserves the right to make changes in information containedin this document without notice.

In no event shall Saba or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever(including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, businessinterruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arisingout of or relating to this documentation or the information contained in it, evenif Saba has been advised of the possibility of such damages and whether arisingfrom tort (including negligence), breach of contract or otherwise.

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Saba, the Saba logo and Centra are registered trademarks of Saba Software, Inc.and Saba and Saba Centra product names are the trademarks of Saba Software,Inc. All other product names mentioned in this manual are the property and maybe trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners, and are usedfor identification purposes only.

© 2010 Saba Software, Inc. All rights reserved.

2 | Content Administrator Guide | Limitations on Warranties and Liability

Content Administrator Guide | Limitations on Warranties and Liability | 3

Published: 09/28/2010

Part Number: G-CAG-SLS55100-0

4 | Content Administrator Guide | Introduction

Contents

Preface: About This Guide.............................................................................xiIntended Audience...................................................................................................................................xi

How to Contact Saba...............................................................................................................................xi

Chapter 1: Content Concepts.......................................................................13Overview................................................................................................................................................14

Saba Content Terminology.........................................................................................................14

Architecture................................................................................................................................15

Interacting with Saba Content....................................................................................................17

Roles and Tasks......................................................................................................................................17

Installing and Configuring Saba Content...................................................................................18

Authoring Content......................................................................................................................19

Importing Content into Saba......................................................................................................19

Subscribing to Content...............................................................................................................20

Consuming Content....................................................................................................................21

Teaching Classes with Content...................................................................................................21

Modifying Existing Content.......................................................................................................21

Tracking vs. Non-Tracking Content.......................................................................................................22

Content Scoring......................................................................................................................................22

Micro-Rollup..............................................................................................................................23

Macro-Rollup.............................................................................................................................24

Using Content for Evaluations...............................................................................................................25

Chapter 2: Content Formats.........................................................................27Supported Content Formats....................................................................................................................28

Deployed Content.......................................................................................................................29

Smart Deployment of Content....................................................................................................29

AICC-Compliant Content......................................................................................................................30

How is My AICC-Compliant Content Provided?.......................................................................30

SCORM-Compliant Content..................................................................................................................31

Overview of SCORM.................................................................................................................31

How Is My SCORM Content Provided?....................................................................................33

Hosting SCORM Content...........................................................................................................33

SCORM Conformance Checking...............................................................................................33

Suspend-Resume Behavior of SCORM Content........................................................................33

Total Time Computation for SCORM 2004 Content.................................................................34

Table of Contents Visibility for SCORM 2004 Content.............................................................34

IMS Packages.........................................................................................................................................34

Content Administrator Guide | TOC | 5

Files........................................................................................................................................................34

Zip Files..................................................................................................................................................35

URLs......................................................................................................................................................35

Saba Offline............................................................................................................................................35

Chapter 3: Configuring the Asset Store and Content Servers ..................37Overview................................................................................................................................................38

Configuring the Asset Store...................................................................................................................38

Asset Storage Details.................................................................................................................38

Asset Storage Settings................................................................................................................39

Test Asset Storage......................................................................................................................40

Configuring Content Servers..................................................................................................................40

Using the Content Server Wizard...............................................................................................40

Content Server Details................................................................................................................40

Content Server Settings..............................................................................................................42

Test Content Server....................................................................................................................43

Content Server User Association................................................................................................44

Content Security.....................................................................................................................................44

Content Delivery under SSL......................................................................................................44

URL Reuse Prevention...............................................................................................................45

Chapter 4: Configuring Saba Player Templates.........................................47Overview................................................................................................................................................48

Managing Player Templates...................................................................................................................48

Creating a Player Template........................................................................................................48

Finding a Player Template..........................................................................................................49

Editing a Player Template..........................................................................................................49

Deleting a Player Template........................................................................................................50

Preview a Player Template.........................................................................................................50

Associating Content with a Player Template.........................................................................................50

Setting a Player Template as Default..........................................................................................50

Previewing Content using a Player template..............................................................................51

Player Themes........................................................................................................................................51

Copying a Theme ......................................................................................................................51

Editing a Theme ........................................................................................................................51

Deleting a Theme ......................................................................................................................51

Chapter 5: Managing Content......................................................................53Overview................................................................................................................................................54

Working with the Production Repository...............................................................................................54

Browsing the Production Repository.........................................................................................54

Searching the Production Repository.........................................................................................55

Importing and Editing Content in the Production Repository................................................................56

6 | Content Administrator Guide | TOC

Step 1: Enter Content Details.....................................................................................................57

Step 2: Import Content...............................................................................................................58

Editing Existing Content............................................................................................................61

Notes on Editing Content...........................................................................................................62

Mastery Score Override..............................................................................................................63

Viewing Objectives Data ...........................................................................................................63

Configurable Content Completion Trigger Point...................................................................................63

Diagnostic Tool for Content Communication........................................................................................64

Viewing the Content Communication Log.................................................................................64

Content Runtime Error Logs..................................................................................................................65

Content Rollup...........................................................................................................................66

Viewing the Runtime Error Log.................................................................................................66

Learner Communication Logs................................................................................................................67

Submitting a Learner Communication Log Request..................................................................67

Viewing the Learner Communication Log.................................................................................68

Content Compliance Testing Tool..........................................................................................................68

Import Testing Mode..................................................................................................................69

Runtime Communication Testing Mode....................................................................................70

Differences Between Saba's Compliance Testing Tool and ADL's Conformance Test

Suite......................................................................................................................................71

Testing a Content Package.........................................................................................................72

Viewing Content Results........................................................................................................................73

Content States.........................................................................................................................................73

Subscribing to Content...........................................................................................................................73

Consuming Content................................................................................................................................73

E-Signature for Auditing Content Completion.......................................................................................74

Sign Off Capability for Content Modules in an Offering.......................................................................74

Setting Up Sign Off Capability..................................................................................................75

Signing Off on Content Completion..........................................................................................75

Purging Content Inventory Items...........................................................................................................75

Chapter 6: Managing the Knowledge Base.................................................77Maintaining Folders in Knowledge Base...............................................................................................78

Creating Content Folders............................................................................................................78

Editing Content Folders..............................................................................................................78

Deleting Content Folders............................................................................................................78

Finding Content in the Knowledge Base................................................................................................78

Managing Content in the Knowledge Base............................................................................................80

Importing Content......................................................................................................................80

Editing Content..........................................................................................................................82

Deleting Content........................................................................................................................83

Managing your Interest Lists..................................................................................................................83

Signing up for an Interest List....................................................................................................83

Viewing Your Interest List..........................................................................................................83


Removing Items from your Interest List....................................................................................83

Publishing Saba Centra Recordings to the Knowledge Base.................................................................84

Susbcribing to Content...........................................................................................................................84

Consuming Content in the Knowledge Base..........................................................................................84

Chapter 7: Detect and Fix Tool.....................................................................85Overview................................................................................................................................................86

Reasons for Content Completion Failures..................................................................................86

Supported Content Formats........................................................................................................86

Detect Process........................................................................................................................................86

Detect Process Statuses..............................................................................................................87

Fix Process.............................................................................................................................................87

Fix Queue...............................................................................................................................................88

Violations...............................................................................................................................................89

Viewing Violation Logs..............................................................................................................89

Detect and Fix Dashboard......................................................................................................................90

Detect and Fix Log Repository..............................................................................................................90

Viewing Details of Registrations Updated.............................................................................................91

Ad Hoc Detect and Fix Requests...........................................................................................................91

Request Statuses.........................................................................................................................91

Submitting Ad Hoc Detect and Fix Requests.............................................................................92

Viewing the Status of an Ad Hoc Detect and Fix Request.........................................................92

Chapter 8: OLSA Integration.......................................................................93Overview................................................................................................................................................94

OLSA Services Supported by Saba............................................................................................94

What are Assets?........................................................................................................................94

Asset Integration Service............................................................................................................94

Features of the Integration..........................................................................................................94

Benefits of the Integration..........................................................................................................95

OLSA Integration Process......................................................................................................................95

OLSA Integration Set Up.......................................................................................................................96

Functionality Set Up...................................................................................................................96

Notification Set Up.....................................................................................................................96

Site Level Property Set Up.........................................................................................................97

Asset Store Configuration..........................................................................................................98

OLSA Vendor Configuration..................................................................................................................98

Synchronization Set Up..........................................................................................................................98

Automatic Synchronization........................................................................................................99

Manual Synchronization............................................................................................................99

Synchronization of Assets....................................................................................................................100

Synchronization Process Steps.................................................................................................100

Synchronization Process States................................................................................................101


Bulk Import of Assets...............................................................................................................102

Periodic Updates......................................................................................................................102

Synchronization Cycle Logs....................................................................................................103

Synchronization Fault Management.........................................................................................104

Vendor State Management...................................................................................................................104

Suspending a Content Vendor..................................................................................................105

Discontinuing a Content Vendor..............................................................................................105

Content Management...........................................................................................................................105

Imported Content States...........................................................................................................106

Content Import.........................................................................................................................107

Content Launch........................................................................................................................107

Content Tracking and Rollup ..................................................................................................107

Known Limitations...............................................................................................................................107

Synchronization Cycle Troubleshooting..............................................................................................108

Chapter 9: Content Delivery Vendor Integration.....................................111Content Delivery Vendor Integration Process......................................................................................112

Content Delivery Vendor Set Up..........................................................................................................112

Content Delivery Vendor Configuration...............................................................................................112

Supported Content Formats..................................................................................................................113

Content Import.....................................................................................................................................113

Content Launch....................................................................................................................................115

End User Licence Agreement...................................................................................................115

Content Tracking and Rollup...............................................................................................................116

Known Limitations...............................................................................................................................116

Troubleshooting....................................................................................................................................117

Content Vendor Configuration.................................................................................................117

Content Import.........................................................................................................................117

Content Launch........................................................................................................................117

Results Reporting.....................................................................................................................117

Chapter 10: Configuring Content Vendors...............................................119Types of Content Vendors.....................................................................................................................120

Configuring a New Content Vendor.....................................................................................................120

Finding Content Vendors......................................................................................................................121

Appendix A: Saba Online Player................................................................123Overview of Saba Online Player..........................................................................................................124

Sending Content Interaction Data After Session Time-Out.....................................................124

Launching Content Using Saba Online Player.....................................................................................124

Navigating Inside Saba Online Player..................................................................................................124

Online Player Auto Navigate and Auto Close Capability....................................................................125

Behavior Matrix When Launching SCORM 1.2 Content........................................................126


What Does Completion of Content SCO mean? .....................................................................127

How is Auto Close and Auto Navigate Capability Associated with Player Template?............127

Online Player Exit Behavior.................................................................................................................128

Fault Tolerance During Player Launch.................................................................................................128

Appendix B: Saba Anywhere......................................................................129Overview of Saba Anywhere................................................................................................................130

Saba Anywhere Setup...............................................................................................................130

Supported Content Formats......................................................................................................130

Upgrading from Saba Offline Player...................................................................................................130

Deployment Models.............................................................................................................................131

Private Deployment..................................................................................................................131

Public Deployment...................................................................................................................131

Shared Deployment..................................................................................................................131

Installing Saba Anywhere.....................................................................................................................132

Download Saba Anywhere.......................................................................................................132

Install Saba Anywhere..............................................................................................................132

Content Consumption Mode................................................................................................................133

Prerequisites to Launching Content Offline.........................................................................................133

Logging into Saba Anywhere...............................................................................................................133

Overview of the Interface.....................................................................................................................134

My In-progress Learning..........................................................................................................134

Now Playing.............................................................................................................................134

Downloads................................................................................................................................135

User Tasks............................................................................................................................................135

Downloading Content...............................................................................................................136

Importing Content into Saba Anywhere...................................................................................136

Playing Content Offline...........................................................................................................137

Viewing Results........................................................................................................................137

Synchronizing Learning Activities...........................................................................................138

Setting Your Preferences..........................................................................................................138

Refreshing My In-progress Learning.......................................................................................138


Preface

About This Guide

Welcome to the Content Administrator Guide for Saba Learning Suite. This guide provides information about SabaContent Manager, and describes how to develop and mange content.

Intended Audience

This guide is intended for people who manage Saba content. These people can be divided into the following categories:

• System administrators configure web servers, network connections, firewalls, and so on.• Content administrators configure Saba to work with the various content servers which actually store and deliver the

content. They can also import content into Saba, making it available to learning offerings. They must have permissionto use the Content Administration module.

• Catalog administrators create learning offerings within Saba and attach content objects to the offerings, makingthem available to learners and instructors.

Note: Instructors and individual learners do not need to read this book, even if they will be using/accessingonline content.

Of course, a single person may act in more than one of these roles. A single person may act as both act a contentadministrator (configuring the repository and importing content) and a catalog administrator (subscribing classes tocontent).

How to Contact Saba

For contact information, see our company Web site: http://www.saba.com.

http://www.saba.com

Chapter

1Content Concepts

This chapter describes the Saba content concepts.Topics:

• Overview• Roles and Tasks• Tracking vs. Non-Tracking

Content• Content Scoring• Using Content for Evaluations

Overview

You can use Saba to attach course material ("content") to any course. This might be as simple as providing a PDF copyof a textbook, or as elaborate as a standards-compliant course with multiple lessons and with automatically-gradedexams. Saba lets you import a wide variety of content formats into its system. Saba can deploy the content material onits own servers, or make use of content that has already been deployed on external servers. Once content has beenimported into Saba, catalog administrators can attach it to any learning offering. Learners in the course can run throughthe content at their convenience; any results will be stored for the instructor to review. Indeed, you can create web-basedtraining in which the entire course is provided as content modules; Saba can automatically process the results of thecontent and mark a learner as having completed the class.

Saba Content Terminology

Saba can make use of content created through other applications. In some cases, this content might be a simple file suchas a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation, or it may be a collection of lessons and tests complying with someonline content standard (such as AICC or SCORM).

Saba uses certain terms in specific ways:

• A content object is a single collection of lessons, which is imported into Saba as a unit.• A content object is made up of one or more lessons. The internal structure of a content object depends on what kind

of content it is. For example, if a content object is of the generic file type, it is made up of a single lesson, the file.A standards-based content object might be made up of several lessons (representing lesson text, exams, etc.).

Note: Certain content formats have their own terms for the components. For example, SCORM calls the lessons"Sharable Content Objects" (SCOs), and AICC calls them "Assignable Units" (AUs). In this book, we will usethe term "lesson" as the generic term for the separate pieces that make up a content object.

• You create a content object in Saba by importing the content. Depending on the content type, you might upload afile (which Saba would then deploy on one of its own servers), or you might provide a pointer to content which isalready deployed on some other server.

• Catalog items subscribe to content, making it available to learners. Catalog items do this by creating learning modules;each module is associated with a single content object. Catalog administrators can set up complex requirements forwhich modules learners need to use; for example, a particular class might require that students either take moduleA, then B, then C, or take module D. The figure below describes how a learning item subscribes to content.

14 | Content Administrator Guide | Content Concepts

Figure 1: Content Requirements

Architecture

Most Saba objects store their information in a relational database (the Saba data store). This database stores such thingsas employee information, class registrations, and Saba security privileges. However, content in Saba is stored differently,on a number of different computers:

Content Administrator Guide | Content Concepts | 15

Figure 2: Saba Content Storage

• The Saba content repository stores information about the content, such as the content object's name, the server it'sstored on, and which classes have subscribed to the content. The repository also arranges content into a hierarchyof folders, so catalog administrators can find the content they need quickly. This information is stored in the Sabadata store and can be accessed directly only by the Saba server; users and administrators connect with the Sabaserver, which in turn connects with the data store to fetch content repository information.

Note: The repository folders are used to organize the content, making it easier to find the right piece of contentwhen you need to subscribe to or edit it. The folders do not have any effect on where the actual content is stored,or who has permission to use it.

• The asset store stores exact copies of all the content files which are uploaded. Some content files have to be processedbefore they can be used by learners; for example, some content is uploaded as a ZIP archive, which has to be expandedbefore learners can use the content. Saba stores the exact file, unaltered, in its asset store; this lets Saba export theinformation when necessary, or redeploy it to a new server. The Saba server is the only machine which needs toconnect with the asset store; it archives content files there when they are uploaded, and fetches them off that machinewhen they are needed. The asset store acts as a safety vault for storing a copy of the content in a secure place fromwhich it can be retrieved in the event the content servers on which it is deployed get corrupted, moved, or otherwisecompromised.

• The content is actually deployed on content servers. When users consume the content, their browsers make a directconnection with the content server. There are two kinds of content server:

• A Web server can be registered with the Saba content administrator, making it a Saba content server. When youupload certain kinds of data, Saba deploys the appropriate files to the Saba content server you choose. Saba isresponsible for writing the appropriate files to that machine.

• A Web server can also serve content without being registered with Saba (an external content server). In that case,when you import content into Saba, you will simply provide references to the data on the appropriate webserver.You are responsible for putting the appropriate files on that webserver.

Note that the same machine can serve as both a Saba content server and an external content server. When you registera Saba content server, you designate a certain directory on the server as being used for Saba content; Saba will beresponsible for writing files to that directory. There is nothing to prevent you from using any other location on thatwebserver for other content.

Note: Some forms of content are deployed exactly as they are uploaded. For example, if you upload file-typecontent (such as a PDF file), the exact file you upload will be copied onto a Saba content server. In that case,Saba will still store an archive copy of the file in the asset store.


Each type of content is deployed in a specific way; for example, file-type content is always deployed on a Saba contentserver and archived in the asset store. For information about how each content type is stored, see Tracking vs. Non-TrackingContent on page 22.

Interacting with Saba Content

Different Saba users will interact with content in different ways. Not all users will need the same privileges, or needaccess to the same computers.

• A content user is someone who needs to consume the content (for example, by taking an online test). A content userdoes not register for content directly; instead, the user registers for a class (or other catalog item) which has subscribedto a piece of content. The content user's machine has to be able to make an HTTP connection with the content serverthat stores the content (whether it is a Saba content server or an external content server). Thus, you must make surethat the content servers are web-accessible to the content users. Users can also access content directly from theKnowledge Base, without the overhead of having to register for a class in the Learning Catalog.

• A catalog administrator is someone who sets up catalog items. The catalog administrator can Attach Content to anycatalog item; while attaching content, Saba prompts the catalog administrator to select a content object. Catalogadministrators also have permission to import content and edit content metadata (that is, information about thecontent, such as its name, description, and location).

• A content author is the person who creates/assembles content using Saba Publisher or any other authoring tool thatproduces content in a format supported by Saba. Content authoring takes place outside the Saba system and, oncecreated, the content can be imported into the repository by content administrators. Some authoring tools also supporttight integration capabilities for integrating directly with Saba content repository.

• A content administrator has permission to import and edit content, and also to configure the various Saba contentservers (such as the content servers and the asset store). The content administrator thus needs to know some networkdetails which are hidden from other users; for example, the administrator needs to know what access protocol Sabashould use to access a content server (for example, FTP), and other configuration-dependent details (such as the FTPusername, password, and local directory).

• Some tasks are performed by an ordinary system administrator. For example, before you can register an asset storewith Saba, you must have it configured as an HTTP server, and make it network accessible to the Saba host machine.These tasks can generally be performed by network administrators; they do not need to have a Saba account.

Of course, the same user can function in more than one of those roles. For example, it is very common for the contentadministrator to also be a catalog administrator.

Roles and Tasks

This section describes the main content-related tasks people will perform. Different users will perform different tasks;for example, the typical learner will interact with a content module, but will never need to import content into Saba.

The following tasks are described:

Table 1: Content-Related Tasks

Who PerformsTask

System administrator and content administratorInstalling and Configuring Saba Content on page18

Content authorAuthoring Content on page 19

Content administratorImporting Content into Saba on page 19


Who PerformsTask

Content administrator or content authorModifying Existing Content on page 21

Catalog administratorSubscribing to Content on page 20

LearnerConsuming Content on page 21

InstructorTeaching Classes with Content on page 21

Installing and Configuring Saba Content

Broadly speaking, there are two phases to configuring Saba content:

• One-time configuration, which you must perform when you install the product. This does not generally need to berepeated.

• Ongoing configuration, which you might need to perform later.

The one-time configuration is done when Saba is installed. For details on how to install and configure Saba contentserver, refer to the Install for Saba Content Server guide. Once Saba content is installed, you may need to register Sabacontent servers. This lets Saba deploy content automatically when you import it. Typically you will configure thesecontent servers when you perform the rest of the configuration; however, you can always register additional Saba contentservers at any time.

Note: You may not need to register any Saba content servers at all. Certain content formats (such as AICC andURL) are by definition deployed on their own, non-Saba, servers. When you import these content formats, Sabasimply keeps track of the pointer to the external content. If all the content you will use is of those pre-deployedtypes, you will not need to register any Saba content servers.

Except as noted, all the steps below are performed by a Saba content administrator:

Table 2: Steps for installing and configuring Saba Content

DescriptionStep

This is performed by the Saba administrator. The procedure is discussed in theInstall for Saba Content Server guide.

1. Install and configure the Sabaproduct.

This may be performed by any system administrator. Configure the machine asyou would any web server. (It only needs to be accessible to the Saba server, soyou may wish to put it behind a firewall.)

2. Configure a webserver to use asthe asset store.

This is discussed in Configuring the Asset Store on page 38. This task must beperformed by a Saba content administrator.

3. Register the asset store with Saba.

This may be performed by any system administrator. Configure the machines asyou would any other web server. If the machines will serve SCORM content, youmust also install the SCORM connector.

4. Install and configure any neces~sary content servers.

The server must be web-accessible to users who will use content stored on thatserver.

Note: If you are not using Saba-deployed content, you do not need to performthis step or the next step.


DescriptionStep

This is discussed in Configuring Content Servers on page 40. It makes the contentserver available for deploying and running content. This task must be performedby a Saba content administrator.

5. Register the content servers withSaba.

Steps 4 and 5 can be performed any time after Saba is installed, and may be repeated later if you add a new contentserver.

Authoring Content

The first step in providing content to users is to author the content. The content can be authored in a wide variety offormats, with many different tools; indeed, Saba content can be in any format which the learners' browsers can open.Thus, the details of how to author content are beyond the scope of this book. Most content delivered through Saba willbe Web content, meaning it can be viewed inside the learner's browser. However, non-Web content can also be delivered.In this case, the learner will simply be prompted to download the content and run it locally.

A content author does not need to have access to Saba. A content author can write the content, and then provide it to aSaba content administrator or catalog administrator to import into Saba (as discussed below in Importing Content intoSaba on page 19). Of course, a content author is very often also a content or catalog administrator, and will performboth tasks.

DescriptionStep

Use an appropriate authoring tool to generate the content. If the content is standardscompliant, you may wish to take into account how Saba will roll up lesson results to

1. Write the content.

produce a score for the content item. This is discussed in Content Scoring on page22.

If the content is of a type that Saba deploys (such as Packaged SCORM or File con~tent), assemble the content in a single location. If the content is deployed manually

2. Deploy or package the con~tent.

(such as Deployed SCORM or AICC), deploy it on an appropriate content server.For information about each content type's requirements, see Tracking vs. Non-Tracking Content on page 22.

If the content was deployed on a non-Saba content server, you must provide all ap~propriate URLs to the content or catalog administrator. If the content will be deployed

3. Provide content to Saba con~tent administrator.

by Saba, provide the actual content file or package to the content or catalog adminis~trator.

Importing Content into Saba

Once the content has been prepared, a Saba content administrator can import it into Saba. This places the content in theSaba content repository, where learning offerings can subscribe to it. If the content is of a Saba-deployed type, Sabawill deploy it to the content server designated by you.

Before you can import the content, you must have the content package or file (if it is of a Saba-deployed type) or theURLs of the necessary files (if it is of a pre-deployed type).

DescriptionStep

In the application toolbar, select Content Administration from the drop-down list,and then click on the Repositories > Production Repository or Knowledge Base.Click on the browse tab.

1. Launch the Saba Repositorybrowser.


DescriptionStep

The way you organize the repository can make it easier for Saba catalog administratorsto find the content they need.

You must select a repository folder to hold the content. You may navigate to an ex~isting folder, or create a new one.

2. Navigate to the appropriaterepository folder.

Note: The repository folder is strictly an organizational tool; it does not affectwhat server is used to store the actual content lessons.

Click on the Import button to launch the Import Content wizard. Use the wizardto provide content "metadata" (such as its name, format, and security domain), and

3. Run the Saba Import Con~tent Wizard

to provide the actual content file (if it is Saba-deployed content) or the relevant URLs(if it is manually deployed content). This wizard is discussed in Importing and EditingContent in the Production Repository on page 56.

Once you complete the wizard, you will be shown the new content object's Detailspage. From this page you can launch the content in the Saba content viewer. (You

4. Test the content

can test the content at any time by opening its Details page from the ProductionRepository or Knowledge Base browser.)

Once the content has been deployed, catalog items can subscribe to it. Content in the Knowledge Base is also availableto learners for direct consumption, without having to register for a learning offering that subscribes to the content.

Subscribing to Content

Once content has been placed in the Production Repository or Knowledge Base, catalog offerings can subscribe to it.This adds the content to the catalog offering, letting users and instructors launch the content and participate in it.

Before you can begin this step, you must create the catalog offering, as described in the Saba Catalog AdministratorGuide.

DescriptionStep

From the Catalog Administration role, find and open the catalog item. You can alsocreate a new catalog item; when you save it, Saba automatically opens it for editing.

1. Find and open the catalogitem.

Do this from the Offering Details page, by clicking Learning Assignments > AddLearning Assignments > Attach Content link.

2. Attach new content

Browse or search the Production Repository or Knowledge Base to find appropriatecontent item, select it, and then click Finish.

3. Select a content item from thereposititory.

Note: You can select multiple content items.

Once you attach the content to the offering, you can launch the content in Saba contentviewer.

4. Test the content


Consuming Content

For a learner, taking a class with content is much like taking any other class. You do not need any special privileges orpermissions to consume content.

DescriptionStep

Enroll in the class normally, as described in the Learning User Guide and RegistrarGuide.

1. Enroll in the class

You can do this by clicking the course name from My In-progress Learning page.2. Open the Learning Detailspage

Course content is listed in the Content Modules section. Each module is designatedas Optional or Required; you must complete all the required modules in order tocomplete the class.

3. Launch the content module

When you have finished all course work and required content modules, the instructorcan mark you as complete and assign you a grade. If the class is web-based training(WBT), Saba will assign you a grade based on your completion of the content modules.

4. Complete classwork

Note: The way Saba calculates a score for the class is discussed in ContentScoring on page 22. In some cases, Saba supports defining 'n' out of 'm' contentmodules as required for completion of a course or offering. For example, if youare required to complete any two out of three 'required' content modules, thenSaba marks you complete after you complete any two required content modules.

Note: Learners can directly consume content in the Knowlege Base, without having to register for learning offeringsthat subscribe to the content. For more information, see the Learning User Guide.

Support for Sending Content Interaction Data After User Session Time-Out

For content that support runtime tracking capabilities, interaction data for the content can be sent back to the systemeven if a user's session times out while the user is completing online content in Saba Online Player.

Saba Content utilizes a system-level certificate to connect to the system and send the data. The certificate is owned bythe 'Admin' super-user and is automatically created during configuration and startup of Saba Notification Server.

Teaching Classes with Content

If you are an instructor for a class with online content, you can examine the content results for each user. For example,after a user completes a content module which contains a test, you can open the module to see detailed information aboutthe learner's responses to all questions in the test. This can be useful if Saba is unable to assign a completion status orscore for a piece of content.

For more information about how Saba assigns scores to content, see Content Scoring on page 22.

Modifying Existing Content

Once content has been imported, you can make certain modifications to it. It is important to note that some modificationscan have side-effects which will affect any offerings that have subscribed to the content; other changes are safe, and canbe made whether or not offerings have subscribed to the content.

• You can make changes to the content metadata without affecting any subscription. The metadata is all the informationyou entered when you imported the content, except for the content file or URL itself. For example, when you import


the content, you choose a name for Saba to display. You can change this name at any time by editing the contentobject. If any classes are subscribed to the content, they will automatically switch to the new name.

• You can also modify the actual content files which users see. If the content is deployed on a non-Saba server, youcan edit the content files directly. If the content is deployed by Saba, you can upload a new content package, andSaba will deploy it. However, this can have unpredictable effects if users are already in progress on the content.

For more information about modifying content, see Notes on Editing Content on page 62.

Tracking vs. Non-Tracking Content

Standards-compliant content (SCORM and AICC) support the ability to track information about the learner's performanceand pass that information back to Saba at runtime.

The following table shows which of the content formats supported by Saba provide runtime tracking capability:

Table 3:Tracking and Non-Tracking Content

TrackingContent type

YesAICC

YesDeployed SCORM

YesSCORM Content Package

NoIMS Content Package

NoFile

NoZip File

NoDirectory

NoURL

YesOffline Content

Content Scoring

Standards-compliant content typically assigns a status to each lesson in the content. However, the content does notprovide an overall status for the whole set of lessons. Similarly, most standards-based content can produce a numericalscore for each lesson in a content object, but not a numerical score for the entire object.

Saba can "roll up" content results, combining results information for each lesson into a single overall result. There aretwo different levels of rollup:

• In micro-rollup, Saba examines the status and numeric score for all the lessons in a content object, and produces asingle status and score for the entire content object.


• In macro-rollup, Saba examines the status and score for each content object in a learning offering, and produces asingle status and score for the entire offering.

Note: Content may have its own way of calculating the score for an individual lesson. For example, one lessonmight be a test, with each question being worth a different number of points. The content might examine theanswers to the questions and produce a numeric score for that single lesson. This is done by the content, not bySaba. Saba's micro-rollup begins with the status and scores for the lessons, and produces a status and score forthe entire test.

Micro-Rollup

Saba can combine the status and scores of each lesson in a content object, producing an overall status and score for theentire object. Saba does this automatically, as soon as a learner finishes the content. This combined score is madeavailable to the class instructor, who can use it to grade the student. (The instructor can also examine the student's contentto see exactly how he completed it.) If the class is Web-based training, Saba can use the content status to produce astatus for the entire class, as described in Macro-Rollup on page 24.

For information about content rollup logic for Saba supported content formats, see:

• AICC and SCORM 1.2 Content Rollup Logic on page 23• SCORM 2004 Content Rollup Logic on page 24• Non-Standards-Compliant Content Rollup Logic on page 24

AICC and SCORM 1.2 Content Rollup Logic

When a user completes a lesson in a standards-compliant content, the content reports one of the following six statuscodes to Saba:

• Complete• Incomplete• Passed• Failed• Browsed• Not Attempted

In addition, the content can optionally report a numeric score. If the content reports both a status code and a numericscore, then Saba will ignore the status code, and will simply treat the lesson as having the status passed (if the score isequal to or higher than the mastery score) or failed (if the score is below the mastery score).

The Mastery score is defined in the content metadata at the lesson level and passed at import time.

When a user completes a lesson, Saba attempts to derive a status for the entire object:

• If any lesson is Not Attempted, Saba assumes that all lessons have not yet been attempted and assigns the contentobject a status of Not Attempted.

• If all lessons reported a Passed status, Saba assigns the content object a Passed status.• If all lessons reported a Failed status, Saba assigns the content object a Failed status.• If all lessons reported a Completed status, Saba assigns the content object a Completed status.• If one or more lessons reported a Passed status and the remaining lessons reported a Completed status, Saba assigns

the content object a passed status.• If any one or more lessons reported a Failed status and the remaining lessons reported a Completed status, Saba

assigns the content object a Failed status.• In any other situation, Saba assigns the content object an Incomplete status.

In addition, Saba averages the scores for each lesson to produce a numerical score for the content.

Macro rollup is triggered when the content object status is either Passed, Failed, or Completed.


Note: Saba only averages the scores that are reported. While calculating the score, Saba discards any lessons witha null value for the score. For example, lessons such as reading assignments have a null value for the score.Reporting a score of zero, instead of null, would wrongly bring down the average. For example, suppose that alesson has five reading assignments and five quizzes. The lesson should report a null score for the readingassignments. If the lesson reported a score of zero for each reading assignment, and the user got 100% on eachquiz, Saba would average all the numbers together and produce a score of 50 for the content object. If the lessonproperly reports a null score for the reading assignments, Saba will average the five 100% scores together andproduce a score of 100 for the content object.

SCORM 2004 Content Rollup Logic

For SCORM 2004 content, completion is triggered by the sequencing engine according to the SCORM 2004 Sequencingand Navigation (SN) specifications.

SCORM 2004 content provides an overall status and score for the entire set of lessons once the content attempt iscomplete. An attempt on the SCORM 2004 content is complete when the user exits the content using the "Exit andFinish" option, or the sequencing session is exited normally returning Course Complete or Exit Session status.

Micro rollup to arrive at the content status and score is intrinsically carried out by the sequencing engine. Saba plays norole in this calculation.

If the user exits the content using "Exit and Resume Later" option, the content attempt is suspended; the user can resumethe same later.

If the user exits the content using "Exit without saving" option, the content attempt is discarded (or abandoned); the usercan start with the fresh attempt next time.

When the content attempt is suspended or discarded, macro rollup is not triggered.

Non-Standards-Compliant Content Rollup Logic

For non-standards-compliant content such as file, directory or URL, Saba marks the content as Complete as soon as it'sopened, if sign-off has not been set for the content module in the offering. If sign-off has been set for anon-standards-compliant content module in an offering, then learners need to sign off to indicate that the learner hascompleted the content.

For example, when the user opens a URL content, Saba marks it as Complete, if sign off has not been set for the URLcontent module. If sign off has been set, then Saba marks the content complete only after the user signs off on completionof the URL content.

Macro-Rollup

If a learning offering has an instructor, the instructor can examine the content results, as well as non-content informationlike the student's classroom participation, and determine a score for the entire offering. However, for Web-based training,Saba will attempt to determine the score and status automatically.

Saba's catalog administrators can define a mastery score for the content package at the offering level. The mastery scoreimpacts the completion status of the content; passed or failed status is derived based on the average score of the learnerin the content against the mastery score defined.

When a user has finished all the content in an offering, Saba will try to assign an overall status to the offering:

• If all of the required content modules have a rollup status of passed, Saba will give the offering a status of successfuland automatically move it to the learner's transcript.

• If all of the required content modules have a rollup status of failed, Saba will give the offering a status of unsuccessfuland move it to the learner's transcript. On successful completion, the completion status for the offering changes tosuccessful.

In all other cases, Saba is unable to make an automatic evaluation for the status and score of the offering and leaves itin the learner's enrollments. If a learner has met the offering's requirements, the learner could mark the offering complete,


if the learner has the privileges to do so. Also, if the appropriate business rule is enabled, the learner's manager can markthe offering complete.

Using Content for Evaluations

There are two different ways content might be used in an offering. Usually, content is part of the offering itself-the userparticipates in the content in order to learn material and to measure how well he has mastered it. A learner's score onthis content measures how well the student is doing in the course, and affects his grade.

However, sometimes you may want to use content to gather feedback from the learners about the quality of the offering.In such situations, you can use content for evaluations. Evaluation content is not scored. Evaluation content passes backresults information reflecting the learner's responses to questions. This information is aggregated and analyzed usingpredefined reports that are available to catalog administrators and instructors.


Chapter

2Content Formats

Content can be imported into Saba in a wide variety of formats. This chapterdescribes the various content formats which are supported by Saba and describeshow each content format is deployed.

Topics:

• Supported Content Formats• AICC-Compliant Content• SCORM-Compliant Content• IMS Packages• Files• Zip Files• URLs• Saba Offline

Supported Content Formats

Saba supports the ability to capture, manage, and deliver content provided in all of the following content formats:

Table 4: Supported Content Formats

DescriptionContent Format

Content designed in compliance with the AICC AGR-010 guidelines. The content can beimported either as a URL or using the four AICC course structure files specified for Level Icompliance.

AICC

For more information on AICC content, see AICC-Compliant Content on page 30.

Content described using the SCORM 1.2 or SCORM 2004 specification. Deployed SCORMcontent can be imported as a URL pointing to an IMS Manifest file. This file is a manifest

Deployed SCORM

for a content package, but does not itself contain the actual content resources. Rather, themanifest contains URLs for the content resources, which must already have been deployedon to a content server machine.

For more information on SCORM content, see SCORM-Compliant Content on page 31.

Content packages that are compliant with the SCORM 1.2 or SCORM 2004 specification.The content package must be imported as a ZIP file. Saba Content unpacks the file, reads the

SCORM Package

IMS manifest, and deploys the content to a registered content server (see "Configuring ContentServers" on page 12-6).

For more information on SCORM content, see SCORM-Compliant Content on page 31.

Content packages that are compliant with the IMS Content Packaging Version 1.1.3 specifi~cation. The content package must be imported as a ZIP file. Saba Content unpacks the file,reads the IMS manifest, and deploys the content to a content server.

IMS Package

For more information on IMS Packages, see IMS Packages on page 34.

Any miscellaneous file format which can be read by users' machines (such as a Word or PDFdocument, a video clip, or an image).

File

For more information on importing raw media files, see Files on page 34.

Any group of files in a directory structure (such as an HTML site, content source files, orproject files) can be packaged into a ZIP file and stored in the repository. These files are un~packed onto a content server during import.

Zip File

For more information on importing directories of files, see Zip Files on page 35.

Any URL pointing to an external content resource can be imported into the repository.URL

For more information on importing URLs, see URLs on page 35.

This format is used to import content published to an offline delivery format by Saba Publisher.This should not be confused with the ability to download and run SCORM 1.2 packages usingthe Saba offline player.

Saba Offline

For more information on offline content, see Saba Offline on page 35.

28 | Content Administrator Guide | Content Formats

DescriptionContent Format

This format is used to import Centra recordings into the content repository.Centra Recording

Deployed Content

Different content formats are deployed differently. When you import any content, Saba stores information about thecontent in the Saba Content repository, but not the content itself:

• If you upload any files when you import the content, the files are stored in the asset store. The asset store providesbackup security and is also used for import processing.

• If you upload files for Saba to deploy, Saba deploys the content on the content server that you designate. (Saba maytransform the content in some way; for example, it might expand a ZIP file which you upload, and deploy the resultingfiles on the content server.)

• Some content formats must be deployed on a non-Saba Content server. In these cases, you will provide a link to thecontent (such as a URL), but the content will remain on the external server. Saba will not store any files in its assetstore or content servers.

Table 5: How Content Formats are Deployed

Deployed to a Non-SabaContent Server?

Deployed to a SabaContent Server?

Information stored inSaba ContentRepository?

Content Format

YesNoYesAICC

YesNoYesDeployed SCORM

NoYesYesSCORM Package

NoYesYesIMS Package

NoYesYesFile

NoYesYesZip File

YesNoYesURL

NoNoYesSaba Offline

YesNoYesCentra Recording

Smart Deployment of Content

Saba provides the ability to deploy content package to a content server optimally. The deployment uploads the packagefile to the content server and the deployment action takes place on the content server. This improves the performanceof content import.

The following content formats are supported:

• SCORM Package

Content Administrator Guide | Content Formats | 29

• IMS Package• Zip File

The content is uploaded using upload protocols such as FTP or WebDAV. When the content is uploaded, the packagezip file is upzipped and then deployed on the content server.

Smart Deployment Process

Smart deployment of content involves the following steps:

1. Content is imported into the Content Repository.2. The zipped content is uploaded to the content server.3. Saba Content Services notifies the Deployment Agent in the content server about the uploaded zipped content.4. The Deployment Agent unzips and deploys the content on the content server.5. The Deployment Agent sends a response back to Saba Content Services about the deployment.

Smart Deployment Settings

For smart deployment of content, set the following attributes while configuring your content server:

• Select the checkbox Use Smart Deploy.• Specify the Home Directory if the upload protocol is FTP or WebDAV. The Home Directory is the root directory

for FTP or WebDAV.

For details about configuring content servers, see .Configuring Content Servers on page 40

AICC-Compliant Content

Saba supports the ability to interoperate with any content designed in compliance with AICC AGR-010 guidelines.

When a learner on Saba launches AICC-compliant content, Saba passes information to the content about the learner,such as profile and preference information and information about any bookmarks the learner might have set duringprevious visits to the content. When the learner completes a learning session, the content passes results information backto Saba. This information can include completion status, test scores, time spent, and number of attempts. For tests, thisinformation can also include the learner response, result, time spent, and relative weighting for every question on thetest. Saba stores this information in the database and provides view access to learners and their managers, as well asinstructors.

How is My AICC-Compliant Content Provided?

Saba can interoperate with AICC-compliant content that is provided in either of the following ways:

• as a single URL pointing to the content source• as a set of course structure files representing a list of lessons, each of which can be launched and tracked independently

by Saba

AICC Content Provided as a Single URL

If your AICC-compliant content is provided as a URL, Saba launches and tracks the content as a single entity. The entirecontent object will have a single status and score.

AICC Content Provided as Course Structure Files

Your content vendor may provide a set of AICC-specified course structure files for AICC-compliant content. The coursestructure files contain metadata for the course, including a course description, information about the author, version,


and creation date of the course, a definition of the course structure including a URL for each of its content elements,and parameters for launching the content over the Web.

If these files are available, Saba can launch and track each content element (e.g., lesson) independently. Learners havethe ability to view the content structure from within Saba and launch any content element (e.g., lesson) defined in thestructure.

At a minimum, vendors of AICC-compliant content should provide four course structure files with the following fileextensions:

• .CRS• .DES• .AU• .CST

Note: Some AICC publishers may provide additional course structure files. However, Saba only processes thefour files listed above.

Saba uses the information provided in these files to display details of the course structure in the Learning Catalog andto parse out a URL for launching each content element (i.e., lesson) defined in the course structure. When a learnerrequests a content element (i.e., lesson) from an AICC-compliant course, Saba retrieves the appropriate URL from thedatabase and launches the content by calling the URL via HTTP.

SCORM-Compliant Content

Saba supports the ability to import and interoperate with content designed in compliance with the Shareable ContentObject Reference Model (SCORM). SCORM is a specification developed by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL)initiative for standardizing the reusability and interoperability of learning content.

When a learner on Saba launches SCORM-compliant content, Saba passes information to the content about the learner,such as profile and preference information and information about any bookmarks the learner might have set duringprevious visits to the content. When the learner completes a learning session, the content passes results information backto Saba. For tests, this information can also include the learner response, result, time spent, and relative weighting forevery question on the test. Saba stores this information in the database and provides view access to learners and theirmanagers.

Currently, Saba supports the following versions of SCORM:

• SCORM 1.2• SCORM 2004 2nd Edition and 3rd Edition

Overview of SCORM

The SCORM specification addresses two critical but distinct aspects of learning content interoperability:

• Defines an aggregation model for packaging learning content• Defines an API for enabling communications between learning content and the system that launches it

The key actors in the SCORM model are:

• Learning Management Systems (such as Saba)• Shareable Content Objects (SCOs)

SCOs are a standardized form of reusable learning objects.

Other actors in the SCORM model are tools that create SCOs and assemble them into larger units of learning.

The following diagram illustrates the conceptual model used by SCORM to define interoperability


Figure 3: SCORM Conceptual Model

Content Aggregation

SCOs are self-contained units of learning. They can be used as building blocks to create larger units of learning (suchas courses), but they cannot be broken down into smaller units. To assemble SCOs into a course, three things must bedone:

1. The SCOs must be found and organized into a structure.2. Instructions must be written that tell the LMS how to deliver the SCOs.3. The SCOs and instructions must be bundled into a portable package.

This process is called content aggregation. It is important to note that content aggregation can include instructions fornavigating between SCOs, but not for navigating within individual SCOs.

A SCORM package contains a manifest file that declares the contents of the package, describes the order in which theSCOs are to be delivered, and tells the LMS where to find the SCOs themselves. The physical resources represented bythe SCO can be physically included in the package, or they can be referenced externally by the package.

To make itself and its components more easily discoverable in a large, distributed online environment, a SCORM packagecan also include metadata records. A package can include metadata records describing the entire package as well asmetadata records describing each individual SCO. The metadata used by SCORM is based on the IEEE Learning ObjectsMetadata (LOM) specification, which defines a library of metadata elements for describing learning objects and iscompatible with the metadata used by the digital and online library community. Learning object metadata can includeinformation about the title, author, version number, creation date, keywords, technical requirements, resource types, andeducational context and intent of a SCO.

Communicating with Content

Using method calls based on a JavaScript API, SCORM-compliant content can communicate at runtime with any LMS.The SCORM specification defines exactly what pieces of learner information can be exchanged between the contentand LMS. This information includes learner profile information, such as the learner's name, the learner's ID, and certainlearner preferences (e.g., physical device preferences) as well as results information, such as completion status, testscores, time spent, and number of attempts for each SCO.

In the SCORM model, content initiates all communication. When it is launched, the SCO tells the LMS it has started.When it wants something from the LMS, it asks for it. When it wants to update learner information, it sends theinformation. And when it is finished, it tells the LMS it is finished. This causes control to be passed back to the LMS,and the LMS decides which SCO will be delivered next.

Additionally, SCORM 2004 content supports the ability to sequence items in a content package and control user navigationactions. This is done by making calls to a runtime sequencing engine provided by Saba.


How Is My SCORM Content Provided?

The SCORM specification is a rapidly evolving document. As the specification changes, it leaves behind legacy contentdesigned in accordance with previous versions. To address this problem, Saba provides support for SOCRM 1.2, SCORM2004 2nd Edition, and SCORM 2004 3rd Edition.

Information about the version of the SCORM content is present in the IMS manifest file provided with the content. Sabareads this information on import and automatically detects the version of the content. You do not need to specify theSCORM version at import time.

SCORM content can be provided as a package (Zip file) or as a stand-alone IMS manifest file. If provided as a package,it should be imported using the SCORM package format. The assumption here is that all resources required to deliverthe content are included in the package and the content files will be automatically deployed to a Saba content server atimport time. If provided as a stand-alone IMS manifest file, the content should be imported using the Deployed SCORMformat. The assumption here is that the content files have directly been or will be manually deployed to a non-Sabacontent server.

Hosting SCORM Content

Since SCORM-compliant content is accessed by calling a URL via HTTP, the content must be hosted on a machinewith a running Web server. However, SCORM content will not run properly if the Saba server attempts to access it asa client. That is, if you try to launch SCORM content from a browser running on the same machine as the Saba server,the content may not run properly. As long as you are logged into Saba from a browser running on some machine otherthan the Saba server, you should be fine.

SCORM Conformance Checking

Saba supports two modes for running SCORM content: strict conformance check and loose conformance check. If strictconformance check is enabled for your SCORM version, then the SCORM content must be strictly conformant in orderto run when launched by learners. If conformance check is disabled, Saba allows any SCORM content to be run. Bydefault, conformance check is disabled.

To enable conformance checking, Saba provides the following two site-level properties:

• SCORM 1.2 Conformance• SCORM 2004 Conformance

System administrators can set these site-level properties. For instructions on how to set these site-level content properties,refer to the System Administrator Guide.

Suspend-Resume Behavior of SCORM Content

The exit behavior of SCORM content depends on the value that the SCO sets in its exit command. In accordance withSCORM RTE Specification, for SCORM 2004 content, if the SCO sets cmi.exit to suspend, Saba sets cmi.entry toresume. By setting cmi.exit to suspend, the SCO indicates that the learner has exited with the intent of returning to theSCO at a later time. On the next launch of the SCO, Saba considers it as the resumption of the previously suspendedattempt and not a new attempt. Hence, Saba returns the runtime data from the previously suspended learner attempt.

For example, if the SCO sets the lesson location cmi.location as location1 and the exit state cmi.exit as suspend, then,in the next attempt, lesson location is populated with location1, as Saba treats the next attempt as a resumption of thepreviously suspended attempt. However, if the SCO sets the location as location1 and exit state cmi.exit as normal, thenin the next attempt, the location is populated with the default location, because Saba treats this attempt as a new attempt.

Using SCORM Conformance to alter Suspend/Resume Behavior

Prior to Saba Enterprise 2005, Saba did not support the suspend-resume behavior of SCORM content described inSuspend-Resume Behavior of SCORM Content on page 33. As this is a change in the behavior of content, it is possible


that some of the content relying on the earlier behavior will no longer work. Hence, Saba provides a facility by whichyou could mimic the Saba 5.1 behavior. This is achieved by setting SCORM Conformance property to 0 (relaxed mode).

When the SCORM 1.2 Conformance property is set to 1 (non-relaxed mode), Saba checks all CMI data elements forvocabulary correctness. For SCORM 2004 content, Saba always checks all CMI data elements for vocabulary correctnessirrespective of SCORM 2004 conformance mode.

Total Time Computation for SCORM 2004 Content

As per SCORM 2004 specification, if the content lesson is exited in normal mode, the next attempt on the content shouldbe treated as a new attempt and LMS should provide a new set of data model elements. This means, in case of a newattempt, total time should be initialized to 0. Saba follows this as per the specification, if SCORM 2004 Conformanceproperty is set to 1 (strict conformance).

Table of Contents Visibility for SCORM 2004 Content

As per SCORM 2004 Sequencing and Navigation specifications, based on the sequencing rules defined in theimsmanifest.xml and learner's progress through the content, there might be times when only relevant part of the Tableof Contents (TOC) is visible in the Saba player. This might create confusion for the learner taking the content.

Saba provides a site-level property called Table of Contents Visiblity that defines the TOC visibilty during a contentattempt. Be default, this property is set to 1, making the TOC always visible during a SCORM 2004 content attempt.

IMS Packages

IMS Content Packaging is a specification developed by the IMS Global Learning Consortium that defines a format forassembling learning resources into portable packages. An IMS package contains a manifest file that declares the contentsof the package, specifies the location of each item defined in the package, and provides metadata records describing thepackage itself and each of the packaged items. The physical resources represented by the items in the package can bephysically included in the package, or they can be referenced externally by the package.

Note: SCORM adopts the IMS Content Packaging specification.

Unlike the SCORM and AICC specifications, which define both an exchange format and a communications protocol,the IMS Packaging specification only defines an aggregation format. It says nothing about the ability of the packagedcontent resources to communicate with the learning management systems from which they are launched. As a result, itis not possible to know whether the content in an IMS package is capable of communicating, except by reading themetadata; thus, the content is treated as non-trackable.

Currently, Saba supports the ability to import and launch IMS packages that are compliant with version 1.1.3 of theContent Packaging specifications.

Files

Any raw media file (such as a Word document, a PowerPoint document, a PDF file, a video clip, an image file, or anexecutable file) can be imported into the Saba Content repository. On import, Saba Content uploads the specified fileinto the asset store.

Once imported, raw media files can be published to the Learning Catalog for access by learners, or they can be exported.When a learner accesses a file, Saba launches the file in the user's default browser, and passes the MIME type. Thebrowser takes responsibility for how the content is displayed. For example, a browser might be able to handle certainMIME types on its own (like HTML and text files), and might launch a plug-in or application to display other MIMEtypes (such as PDF documents). In other cases (such as a Zip file or EXE file) the browser will not support the ability


to display the content and instead will prompt the learner to download and save to the local machine where the file canbe launched using an appropriate application.

Zip Files

Any group of files (such as an HTML site, content source files, or project files) can be packaged into a ZIP file andimported into the Saba Content repository. This can be useful for adding entire web sites into Saba; for example, youmight zip up a directory structure containing an entire HTML-based reference manual, and deploy that manual as contenton Saba.

On import, Saba Content unpacks the ZIP file, deploys the contents to the specified content server, and sets up an accessURL pointing to the specified start file.

Once imported, packaged directories can be published to the Learning Catalog for access by learners, or they can beexported. When a learner accesses a directory, Saba opens a new browser window and calls the access URL, whichpoints to the specified start file located on the specified content server.

URLs

Any URL pointing to a content resource can be imported into the Saba Content repository and published to the LearningCatalog for access by learners. If your content is available on a webserver, and does not conform to some more specificstandard (such as SCORM or AICC), you should import it as a URL.

Saba Offline

Offline content is content that learners can download to a local machine and then take at a time when the local machineis not connected to the Saba application server. This is particularly useful for learners who are either travelling or workingon a machine with a dialup connection.

Content authored using Saba Publisher can be published for offline delivery and imported into the Saba Content repository.Saba supports the ability to track and record learner results for offline content generated by Saba Publisher. This is doneusing AICC-based communications to exchange the results information.

When a learner takes offline content, the content tracks the results of the learner's performance and stores the informationin a file on the local machine. Upon completion, the content will automatically place an icon on the learner's desktopfor the purpose of submitting results back to Saba. When the learner is reconnected to the Saba network, clicking thisicon submits the results information to Saba. Saba stores this information in the database and displays it to learners andtheir managers through pages in the application interface.

Note:

Saba Offline content should not be confused with the ability to download and run SCORM 1.2 packages using theSaba offline player.


Chapter

3Configuring the Asset Store and Content Servers

This chapter describes how to configure the content asset store for importingcontent and content servers for delivering content.

Topics:

• Overview• Configuring the Asset Store• Configuring Content Servers• Content Security

Overview

As described in Content Concepts on page 13, all content managed by Saba is stored on two different types of servers:

• The asset store serves as an archive for uploaded content. All uploaded material is stored there; this lets Saba exportexactly the files which were uploaded, if needed. Thus, if content is uploaded as a ZIP archive, the ZIP file wouldbe kept in the asset store. There is only one asset store per Saba site.

Note: The Saba application needs to communicate with the asset store, but no other computer does. In particular,when a user views content, the user's browser does not communicate with the asset store. Thus, for example,the asset store can be behind a firewall, as long as it is accessible by the Saba application. However, the assetstore must still be accessible via a URL.

• The content servers hold the content that is actually served to the user. For example, certain content formats areuploaded as ZIP files, and unzipped when they are deployed. When a user views content, the user's browser connectsdirectly to the content server. You can define as many content servers as you want and Saba will automatically uploadand deploy content to the selected content server at import time.

This chapter describes how to configure the Saba asset store and content servers.

Configuring the Asset Store

To configure the asset store, go to the Content Administration > Configuration > Server Setup > Asset Storagepage. This page contains the Asset Storage Wizard, a three-page configuration tool.

• Asset Storage Details on page 38• Asset Storage Settings on page 39• Test Asset Storage on page 40

Asset Storage Details

On the first page, you must enter the following information about the asset store:

Table 6: Asset Storage Details

DescriptionField

Describes how the Saba server can store information in the asset store. This may be either "FTP","File System", or "WebDAV". You will make protocol-dependent configuration choices on thenext page.

Upload Protocol

The URL for accessing the asset store directory. Only the Saba server uses this URL.Content File AccessURL

Note: When the system accesses the stored assets, it fetches them via this URL, using anHTTP connection. Thus, the asset store must be accessible via HTTP. For security reasons,you may wish to configure the asset store's webserver so that only the Saba host machinecan access that directory. (This is a good idea if the upload protocol is WebDAV, becauseWebDAV directories can be altered through HTTP connections.)

38 | Content Administrator Guide | Configuring the Asset Store and Content Servers

Asset Storage Settings

The second page is where you make protocol-specific configuration choices. Thus, the fields you see on this page willvary depending on your asset store's upload protocol.

FTP

File Transmission Protocol (FTP) is a transfer mechanism that can be used to move files between machines that are notconnected on the same local Network (LAN).

If your asset store is accessed via FTP, enter the following information:

Table 7: Asset Storage Details: FTP

DescriptionField

The name of the FTP machine, qualified as necessary.Hostname

The port to use for the FTP connection.Port

A username with FTP access to that directory.Username

The password for that username.Password

Note:

The Username and Password are stored in encrypted format in the database.

The directory on the FTP server where the content files should be stored. (This is a subdirectoryof the FTP root.)

FTP Directory

File System

The File protocol can be used to transfer files between machines that are connected on the same Local Area Network(LAN).

If your asset store is accessed via the file system, enter the following information:

Table 8: Asset Storage Details: File System

DescriptionField

The full path to the asset store directory. This can be on the Saba host machine, or on someother machine (as long as the directory is accessible through the file system).

Physical Directory

WebDAV

WebDAV is a Windows-based protocol for transferring files through an HTTP connection. If the asset store is accessedthrough WebDAV, you do not need to enter any information on the second page of the wizard; simply click Next toproceed to the third page.

Content Administrator Guide | Configuring the Asset Store and Content Servers | 39

Test Asset Storage

The third page lists the configuration choices you made on the first two pages, and also includes a test link: Test FileUpload/Request. If you click this link, Saba attempts to write a test file to the asset store (through whichever uploadprotocol you selected), then accesses it through the URL and compares it with the original file. Saba then reports theresults of this test.

If there is a problem with any of the settings, you can click Previous to go to an earlier page of the wizard. Otherwise,click Done and the changes are saved.

You can modify the asset store configuration once you have defined it, but you can never delete it.

Configuring Content Servers

To configure content servers, go to the Content Administration > Configuration > Server Setup > Content Serverssection. From this area, you can search for content servers, modify an existing one, or create a new one.

To search for a content server, go to the Content Administration > Configuration > Server Setup > Content Serverpage. This displays the content server search page. The search page has two fields:

Table 9: Content Server Search

DescriptionField

If you wish, you may enter the first few characters of the content server's name. If you leavethis field blank, Saba returns all servers of the specified upload protocol.

Name

You must select an upload protocol from this menu. Saba returns only those content serverswhich use the specified protocol.

Upload Protocol

When you have made your choices, click Search. Saba returns all matching content servers.

To edit an existing content server, click its content server link; this takes you to the Content Server wizard.

To delete an existing content server, click the Delete icon.

Note: Saba does not remove content from the content server, even when the corresponding content object has beendeleted from the repository. As a result, the contents of the content server directory may grow large if you frequentlyadd and remove content objects.

To create a new content server, go to the Content Administration > Configuration > Server Setup > Content Serverpage. Click on New Content Server link.

Using the Content Server Wizard

To create or modify a content server, use the Content Server wizard. The wizard is divided into three pages:

• Content Server Details on page 40• Content Server Settings on page 42• Test Content Server on page 43

Content Server Details

On the first page, you must enter the following information about the content server:


Table 10: Content Server Details

DescriptionField

A descriptive name for the content server.Name

Describes how the Saba server can store information in the content server. Select one of thefollowing: from the drop-down list:

Upload Protocol

• FTP• File System• WebDAV

You will make protocol-dependent configuration choices on the next page.

The URL for the content server directory.Content File AccessURL

Note: When users view the content on this server, their browsers make an HTTP connec~tion to the content server directory. The content server machine must be accessible tothem over the internet or intranet.

If the Is a secure server checkbox is selected, then the URL must include the file store andapplication instance elements in its path, in the following format:

http(s)://<server_name>:<server_port>/gatekeeper/

where <server_name> is the name of the secure server and <server_port> is the portnumber of the secure server.

For example,

http://content:50/gatekeeper/

The URL of the content server application deployed on the content server.Content ApplicationBase URL

Specify the Content application base URL in the following format:

http(s)://<server_name>:<server_port>/<context>/scorm_launch

where <server_name> is the name of the content server and <server_port> is the portnumber of the content server. If there is a context in which the content server solution has beendeployed, then specify that.

For example:

http://venus:7001/scorm_launch

An optional text description of the content server.Description

Select this checkbox if the content deployed on the content server is to be accessed in securemode.

Is a secure server

All content objects deployed on the content server will inherit this property and will be accessedin secure mode.

Note: Changing this attribute for a content server, affects already imported content objects.

For more information about secure content servers, see Secure Content Server on page 45.


DescriptionField

Select this checkbox to set this content server as the default content server.Is default server

Select this checkbox if the content deployment should use the smart deploy method where thecontent file is uploaded to a content server. The content is then unzipped and deployed on thecontent server.

Use Smart Deploy

For the following content formats, smart deployment improves the performance of contentdeployment in a distributed environment:

• SCORM Package• IMS Content Package• Zip File

For more information about smart deployment, see Smart Deployment of Content on page29.

Content Server Settings

The second page is where you make protocol-specific configuration choices. Thus, the fields you see on this page willvary depending on your asset store's upload protocol.

FTP

File Transmission Protocol (FTP) is a mechanism for transferring files between computers that are not connected on thesame Local Area Network (LAN).

If your content server is accessed via FTP, enter the following information:

Table 11: Content Server Settings: FTP

DescriptionField

The name of the FTP machine, qualified as necessary.Hostname

The port to use for the FTP connection.Port

A username with FTP access to that directory.Username

The password for that username.Password

Note:

The Username and Password are stored in encrypted format in the database.

The root directory for FTP.Home Directory

Note: You must specify this field if you have selected the Use Smart Deploy checkbox.

The directory on the FTP server where the content files should be stored. (This is a subdirectoryof the home directory or FTP root.)

FTP Directory


File System

The File protocol can be used to transfer files between computers that are connected on the same Local Area Network(LAN).

If your content server is accessed via the file system, enter the following information:

Table 12: Content Server Settings: File System

DescriptionField

The full path to the content server directory. This can be on the Saba host machine, or on someother machine (as long as the directory is accessible through the file system).

Physical Directory

WebDAV

WebDAV is a Windows-based protocol for transferring files over an HTTP connection.

If your content server is accessed via WebDAV, enter the following information:

Table 13: Content Server Settings: WebDAV

DescriptionField

The root directory for WebDAV.Home Directory

Note: You must specify this field if you have selected the Use Smart Deploy checkbox.

Test Content Server

The third page lists the configuration choices you made on the first two pages, and also includes a test link: Test FileUpload/Request. If you click this link, Saba attempts to write a test file to the content server (through whichever uploadprotocol you selected), then accesses it through the URL and compares it with the original file. Saba then reports theresults of this test.

If the SCORM Launch servlet is installed, you can test the ability to launch SCORM content by clicking Test SCORMRuntime. Again, Saba will launch a second window with the results of this test. (If you will not be deploying SCORMcontent to this server, you do not need to test SCORM launch.)

You can test smart deployment of content by clicking the link Test Smart Deployer. Saba launches a second windowwith the results of this test. This link is only displayed if you have selected the checkbox Use Smart Deploy on theContent Server Details page.

If there is a problem with any of the settings, click Previous to go to an earlier page of the wizard. Otherwise, clickDone to save the content server settings.

Troubleshooting SCORM Content

When running SCORM content, if the callback from the content fails with a General Exception, followed by aNot Initialized error, this may be a result of the content tracking certificate not having been generated. Thecertificate should have been generated as part of the installation and configuration of the Saba Content Server wherethe content is hosted.

To correct this problem, on the first run of SCORM content from the content server, the password for the Saba adminuser must be set to welcome. This generates a certificate needed for content to launch and report progress trackingback to the application server.


Content Server User Association

Content Administrators can associate content servers with users. When a user contributes content to the system, thecontent is deployed on the user's content server. If no content server is associated with a user, then the content is deployedon the default content server.

To associate a content server with a user:

1. Navigate to Content Administration > Configuration > Server Setup > Content Servers. The content serversearch page is displayed.

2. Enter you content server search criteria and click Search. All content servers matching your search criteria aredisplayed.

3. Click the User Assocation link for the content server that needs to be associated with users. The User ContentServer Association page is displayed, lising all users that are associated with this content server.

4. To associate a user with the content server, click Add. The Search Person, Internal pop-up page is displayed.5. Enter your people search critera and click Search.6. From the search results, select the users that need to be associated with the content server, and click Select. All

selected users are associated with the content server.

Note:

One user can only be associated with a single content server. When a user is associated with a content server, anyexisting content server association for the user is removed. For example, user Joe George was associated withcontent server A. Now if you associate Joe George with content server B, then the existing association of Joe Goergewith content server A is removed. Now only content server B is associated with Joe Goerge.

To remove content server association for a user:

1. Navigate to Content Administration > Configuration > Server Setup > Content Servers. The content serversearch page is displayed.

2. Enter you content server search criteria and click Search. All content servers matching your search criteria aredisplayed.

3. Click the User Assocation link for the appropriate content server. The User Content Server Association page isdisplayed, lising all users that are associated with this content server.

4. To remove the content server association for a user, select the user and click Delete.

Content Security

Content security is a major concern for organizations that use Saba to disseminate highly sensitive information. Toprotect this information, the content server needs to be highly secure.

The following features provide the necessary content security:

• Content Delivery under SSL on page 44• URL Reuse Prevention on page 45

Content Delivery under SSL

The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) security protocol provides data encryption, server authentication and message integrity.Content delivery using the HTTPS protocol (HTTP over SSL) ensures content security.

Content can be delivered in a secure mode, not only when Saba Web Server is SSL-enabled, but also when the contentserver is SSL-enabled.


For more information about installing and configuring content delivery under SSL, see Installing Saba Remote ContentServer.

For Saba-specific configuration to support SSL between the client browsers and the web server, see the Saba SystemAdministrator Guide.

URL Reuse Prevention

Since the content server is basically just a web server, a user who has access to content can capture the URL of thecontent from the browser properties window and distribute the URL for unauthorized reuse of the content. This causesthe following security threats:

• Sensitive information may be stolen, thus causing business losses to the organization.• A person who does not have the requisite qualifications to take a test, may use the help of another employee or

customer to gain a transcript or certification record in Saba.

Saba provides the secure content server technology that prevents URL reuse.

Secure Content Server

The secure content server technology uses a proxy server called a Gatekeeper deployed between the client browser andthe content server that stores the content. The content server has an access list entry that prevents it from serving therequests from any machine other that the one used for running a secure content server. This ensures that all the requestsare served through a secure content server, which is responsible for authentication and authorization.

A secure content server can be hosted on the same machine as the one on which the content server is hosted, or on anyother machine. For hosted content, Saba recommends that you host secure content servers on a separate machine.

Secure content servers may retrieve files not only from the underlying web server, but also from a file system. This isadvisable for performance reasons, although it might not be advisable for certain configurations like third party hostedcontent or content assessed via an edge server in CDN configuration.

The functions performed by the various components in a secure content server environment are as follows:

FunctionComponent

Content server • Stores content• Serves content to secure content servers

Secure content server(gatekeeper)

• Performs authentication• Serves content to client

Saba application • Creates secure launch URLs

Client Browser • Launches secure URLs

When a learner launches secure content, the URL goes through a secure content server, and the actual content URL isnever displayed on any page.

For detailed instructions on installing and configuring secure content servers, see the Install Guide for Saba ContentServer .

Security Context

Each content object has same number of assets such as HTML files, Flash animation, gif images etc. associated with it.An authorized user can access these assets, but should not be able to access any other asset on the content server. Thetop directory of the content object, where all the assets of this content object can be found is called the security context.


For example, if the content is located at:

http://server1/gatekeeper/content50/app1/Course1/index.html

then the security context is

http://server1/gatekeeper/content50/app1/Course1/

The security context for various content formats is defined as follows:

Rules to define Security ContextContent Format

The directory where imsmanifest.xml file is located.Deployed SCORM

Cannot be derived automatically. Should be set up manually by the content admin~istrator.

AICC,

URL

The security context is inherited during import and cannot be viewed or changedby the content administrator.

SCORM Package,

IMS Package, Directory


Chapter

4Configuring Saba Player Templates

This chapter describes how to configure Saba Player templates.Topics:

• Overview• Managing Player Templates• Associating Content with a Player

Template• Player Themes

Overview

Player templates provide uniformity to the look and feel of content delivered through the system. They control the visualpresentation of the Online Player during runtime. These templates enforces a level of standardization for content deliveredusing Saba Online Player.

You can create you own player templates with a choice of color and font, choice of header and footer location, andoption to display or hide the navigation bar and table of contents.

You can configure player templates and associate them with content. Content administrators and content developersassociate player templates with content while:

• Importing content into the Production Repository or Knowledge Base.• Publishing content to the Production Repository or Knowledge Base using Saba Content Manager

Saba provides the following pre-defined templates:

• System Defined template: It displays the table of contents and navigation controls.• Empty Player template: This template does not display the table of contents or any navigation controls.

While publishing content or importing content, you can associate any one of the player templates with content. In theplayer template field, use the picker to select the player template.

Managing Player Templates

You can configure you own player templates and manage them.You can associate these player templates with content,hence providing control on the look and feel of content during the runtime experience.

For detailed information, see:

• Creating a Player Template on page 48• Finding a Player Template on page 49• Editing a Player Template on page 49• Deleting a Player Template on page 50• Preview a Player Template on page 50

Creating a Player Template

You can define your own player templates and associate them with content. You can choose from a range of color, font,and have the option to display or hide the navigation bar and table of contents. You can also define the size of the playertemplates.

To create a player template:

1. Go to Content Administration > Configuration > Templates & Themes > Player Templates page.2. Click New Player Template. The New Player Template page is displayed.3. Enter the Name of the player template.4. Select its Security Domain using the finder.5. Define the Height and Width of the player template.6. Select the player Theme using the finder. The theme defines the color scheme and font of the player.7. Define the width of the table of contents in the TOC Width field.8. Click Save. The Edit Player Template screen is displayed. You can modify the properties of the player template,

and customize the player header and footer. For details, refer to Editing a Player Template on page 49.

48 | Content Administrator Guide | Configuring Saba Player Templates

9. Click Save again, if you have modified the player template after creating it.

Once you save the changes, you can preview the player template by clicking the Preview button.

Finding a Player Template

When a player template is created, its security domain is defined. You can find only those player templates that residein the security domain that you have access to.

To find a player template:

1. Go to Content Administration > Configuration > Templates & Themes > Player Templates page.2. Click Search. It displays all the player templates that you have access to.

To select a template and view its details, click on the player template link.

Editing a Player Template

You can edit existing player templates. Before you edit a template, you must find the template. For information onfinding templates, refer to Finding a Player Template on page 49. After you find the template, click on its link to editit. This displays the Edit player Template page. From this page, you can do the following:

• Click on the Template Details tab to modify any of the following fields:• Name•

• Height• Width• Theme• TOC Width• Security Domain• Description

• Select the following check boxes to alter the player interface:

• Is Default• Show Table of Contents• Show Navigation Controls• TOC Scrollable• Close Player on SCORM 1.2 content completion• Use Auto Navigation for SCORM 1.2 Content

• Click the Customize Header tab to modify any of the following:

• Select Display Header check box if the player must display a header.• Modify the header by editing the HTML code. If you need to restore any of the changes that you made, click the

Use Default button.

• Click the Customize Footer tab to modify any of the following:

• Select Display Footer check box if the player must display a footer.• Modify the footer by editing the HTML code. If you need to restore any of the changes that you made, click the

Use Default button.

• Click Save.

You can view the changes that you have made to the player template by clicking on Preview button to preview theplayer template.

Content Administrator Guide | Configuring Saba Player Templates | 49

Deleting a Player Template

You can delete a player template if it is not associated with any content. Also, the player template must reside in thesecurity domain that you have access to.

To delete a player template:

1. Go to Content Administration > Configuration > Templates & Themes > Player Templates page.2. Click Search. It lists all the player templates that you have access to.3. Click on the Delete icon (actions column) of the template that you want to delete.4. The delete confirmation pop-up screen is displayed. Click OK.

Preview a Player Template

You can preview player templates. It gives a visual presentation of the player during runtime.

To preview a player template:

1. Go to Content Administration > Configuration > Templates & Themes > Player Templates page.2. Click Search. It displays all the player templates that you have access to.3. Choose the required player template and click on its link. It displays the Edit Player Template screen.4. Click on the Preview button.

Associating Content with a Player Template

All content stored in the Production Repository and Knowledge Base must be associated with a player template forruntime delivery.

Content administrators and content developers associate player templates with content as follows:

• From Saba Content Administration, while importing content into the Production Repository or Knowledge Base.• From Saba Content Manager, while publishing content to the Production Repository or Knowledge Base.

While importing or publishing content, the Player Template field is populated with the default player template. Youcan change the template using the Player template picker.

For assessment content, Saba recommends that you use a player template that does not have navigation controls (suchas the Empty Player template). Assessment content is a self-contained module and does not need any navigation controlsfrom the player for the user to interact with the content. When the user finishes the content, they click the Close icon toclose the player window.

See also:

• Setting a Player Template as Default on page 50• Previewing Content using a Player template on page 51

Setting a Player Template as Default

You can configure and set any player template as the default template. While importing or publishing content, the PlayerTemplate field is pre-populated with the default player template.

To set a player template as default:

1. Go to Content Administration > Configuration > Templates & Themes > Player Templates page.2. Click Search. It displays all the player templates that you have access to.3. Click on the link of the player template that you want to set as default. It displays the Edit Player Template screen.

50 | Content Administrator Guide | Configuring Saba Player Templates

4. Select Is Default check box.5. Click Save.

During import of content into the Production Repository or Knowledge Base, the default player template is associatedwith the content.

Previewing Content using a Player template

You can preview content using a player template of your choice.

To preview content using a player template:

1. Open the content inventory object in the Production Repository or Knowledge Base.2. In the Content Inventory Details page for the selected object, the Player Template field displays the default player

template. Click on player template finder to select a player template of your choice.3. Click Save if you have selected a different player template or made any changes on this page.4. Click Preview Content.

The content is displayed using the player template that you chose. In preview mode, you cannot track the content.

Player Themes

A player theme is a set of unified design elements and color schemes player elements such as links, text, fonts, etc. Eachplayer template is associated with a particular theme; the theme specifies what typefaces should be used in the playertemplate, what colors, and other graphic properties.

The application ships with a single default online player theme which cannot be edited or deleted. If you wish, you cancreate additional themes. Themes are managed from the Content Administration > Configuration > Templates &Themes > Player Themes page. From this page, you can perform the following operations:

• Copying a Theme on page 51• Editing a Theme on page 51• Deleting a Theme on page 51

Copying a Theme

To duplicate a theme, click its Copy link. This creates a new theme with the same settings as the original. You can thenedit the new theme to make any customizations you want.

Editing a Theme

To view or edit a theme's settings (including its name), click on its name. Saba opens the Theme Details page for thattheme. This page displays all the property settings for the theme; these settings specify the typeface, color, style, etc.,of text and graphic elements for players which use this theme. If this is the default theme, the properties will be read-only;otherwise, you can change any of the theme settings by typing new values in the appropriate fields. Once you modifythe player theme, click Save.

Deleting a Theme

You can a delete player theme if it is not used by any player template.To delete a theme, click its Delete icon.

Note: You cannot delete the default player theme.

Content Administrator Guide | Configuring Saba Player Templates | 51

Chapter

5Managing Content

This chapter covers how to work with content in the repository. It describes howto navigate through the repository, upload content, and attach it to a learningobject.

Topics:

• Overview• Working with the Production

Repository• Importing and Editing Content in

the Production Repository• Configurable Content Completion

Trigger Point• Diagnostic Tool for Content

Communication• Content Runtime Error Logs• Learner Communication Logs• Content Compliance Testing Tool• Viewing Content Results• Content States• Subscribing to Content• Consuming Content• E-Signature for Auditing Content

Completion• Sign Off Capability for Content

Modules in an Offering• Purging Content Inventory Items

Overview

Saba stores and manages content in a Production Repository and Knowledge Base. They are an hierarchy of folderscontaining the various content objects which have been imported into Saba. The Production Repository and KnowledgeBase make it easier to find the content you may be looking for.

There are two steps in attaching content to a learning event:

1. You must first import the content to Saba. Depending on the type of content being imported, it will either be deployedby Saba onto a content server or manually deployed onto a content server. The content server is where the contentis hosted for access by users. When you import the content, you must choose a location for it in the ProductionRepository or Knowledge Base.

2. A learning offering must then subscribe to the content. This associates the content with that learning offering, sousers who are enrolled in the offering can take the content. When you subscribe to content, you must locate the pieceof content in the repository.

If a user is participating in a learning offering which contains content, Saba presents a link to the user. When the userclicks on the link, Saba launches its content player and displays the appropriate content.

You can import the same piece of content several times, resulting in several different copies of the content in therepository. You might do this if you need to put the content on more than one content server.

Note: Several different learning offerings might subscribe to the same piece of content. In that case, if you editthe content, that will affect all the learning offerings which are subscribed to it.

Working with the Production Repository

To view the Production Repository, navigate to the Content Administration > Repositories > Production Repositorypage. From this page, you can choose two ways of viewing the repository:

• You can browse through the repository as a folder hierarchy.• You can search for a specific content object.

Browsing the Production Repository

To browse through the production repository, open the Content Administration > Repositories > Production Repositorypage, and click the Browse tab. The production repository is displayed as a folder hierarchy. From this page, you canperform the following actions:

ProcedureAction

Click the Expand icon (plus sign).Expand a folder, showing its contents

Click the Collapse icon (minus sign).Close a folder

Click the content object link.Open a content object or folder for editing

Select the folder where you want to import the content and click the Importlink.

Add a new content object

Click the parent folder's New Sub Folder link.Create a new folder

54 | Content Administrator Guide | Managing Content

ProcedureAction

Click its Delete icon (actions column).Delete a content object or folder

Note: Only empty folders can be deleted.

Select the folder and click the Edit Folder link.Edit a folder

You can browse the folder hierarchy by opening folders until you find the content object you want to use.

Searching the Production Repository

To search for a particular content object, open the Content Administration > Repositories > Production Repositorypage, and click on the Search tab. You can search by any or all of the following criteria:

DescriptionSearch Field

Name of the content object.Name

Enter the first few characters of the content object name. The search finds all content objectsthat start with the string you enter.

Content format of the content object.Content format

Select a content format the from drop-down list of system-supported content formats.

The date range in which content is available for subscription by a learning offering.Available from >=

Use the date picker to populate these fields.Available from <=

For example, to find content that was available for subscription in the month of January2009, enter the date range as 01/01/2009 to 01/31/2009.

The folder within the production repository where you want to search for the content.Folder Name

The version number of the content.Version number

The search displays all content that match the specified version number.

The status of the content. For example, content that published, content on hold, content thathas expired or content that is purged.

Status

Select the status from the drop-down list.

The language in which the content is published.Language

Enter the first few characters of the language. The search finds all content objects that startwith the string you enter.

The keyword associated with the content. The keyword is a metadata used to classify thecontent.

Keywords

Enter a string of characters contained in the author's name. The search finds all contentobjects that contain the string you enter.

The author of the content.Author

Content Administrator Guide | Managing Content | 55


Enter a string of characters contained in the keyword. The search finds all content objectsthat contain the string you enter.

The competency associated with the content.Competency

Use the competency picker to find and select the required competency.

The type of content.Content Type

Use drop-down list to select a content type.

The date range in which content is modified.Last Modified on>=

Use the date picker to populate these fields.Last Modified on<=

For example, to find content modified in the month of January 2009, enter the date rangeas 01/01/2009 to 01/31/2009.

Select this check box to find content used as survey, evaluation or MRA.Used as Survey, Evalua~tion, or Multi Rater Assess~ment

The name of the content provider that provides the content.Content Provider

The delivery vendor is the application that plays the content. Choose the delivery vendorfrom the drop-down list. Choose Saba to find content that plays in the Saba player; chooseNative to find content that plays in a native player (such as Internet Exporer).

Delivery Vendor

The owner of the content.Owner

Select this checkbox to find content where the reimport of updated content failed. This fieldis only applicable for content imported into Saba using the OLSA integration feature.

OLSA Asset UpdateFailed

Enter your search criteria and click Search. If you enter more than one criteria, the search returns only those contentobjects which match all the criteria you entered. If you leave all fields blank, the search returns all content objects.

The search results are displayed in a table (possibly across several pages). The table displays metadata information aboutcontent returned in the result set. You can modify the table to change the display fields. You can edit a content objectby clicking on its link. You can delete a content object by clicking its Delete icon (actions column).

Importing and Editing Content in the Production Repository

You can import content into the Production Repository using the import wizard. To launch the import wizard, open theContent Administration > Repositories > Production Repository page, navigate to the folder where you want thecontent to be stored, and click the Import link.

The import wizard has two steps:

• Step 1: Enter Content Details on page 57• Step 2: Import Content on page 58

You can also edit existing content by clicking on its link in the Production Repository page. This brings up a pageshowing all the details of the content, including a list of learning offerings which subscribe to it; in addition, you canpreview the content by clicking the Preview link.


Step 1: Enter Content Details

On this page, you provide general information about the content (information which does not depend on the contentformat). Enter the following information:

Table 14: Import Content Wizard: Content Details

DescriptionField

A name for the content object.Name

The security domain for the content object. To enter a security domain, click the "picker" icon.Security Domain

Note: Users will not be allowed to use the content object unless they have permission toaccess the specified security domain. To make the content available to all users, choosethe "world" domain.

Choose the content format from the drop-down list. On the next page of the wizard, you willenter information specific to the content format you choose.

Content Format

The player template used to launch the content.Player Template

By default, the System Defined player template is used. Use the picker to choose a differentplayer template.

For more information on player templates, see Configuring Saba Player Templates on page47".

Choose the content type from the drop-down list.

This field is optional.

Content Type

The version number for the content. The imported content will have the specified explicitversion number associated with it.

Version Number


The date on which the content will expire. The imported content will not be available for sub~scription. However, content that is already associated with an offering, can be consumed byusers after the expiration date.

Expiration Date

After this date, the content will have a status of expired.


The folder within the repository where the content is imported.Parent Folder

The name of the content vendor that provides content. Select the name of the content vendorfrom the drop down list of content providers configured in the Saba system.

This field is optional, and applicable only if the OLSA Integration functionality is enabledby your system administrator.

Content Provider

Choose the delivery vendor from the drop-down list. If you select Saba as the delivery vendor,then the content plays inside the Saba player. If you choose Native as the delivery vendor, the

Delivery Vendor


DescriptionField

content plays in a native player (such as the Internet Explorer browser) or the content can bedownloaded and played using an associated application.

Note: Secure content servers do not support Native delivery vendors.

When you have entered the required information, click Next.

Step 2: Import Content

On the Import Content page, you provide content format-specific information about the content you are importing.You would provide the location of a file or directory that you want to upload to the content store. In addition, you mayprovide information for any additional data fields defined by your system administrator.

After entering all the necessary information, click Import to upload the content to the Saba content store. Once youfinish importing the content, Saba shows you a summary page describing the content object. In addition, you can previewthe content in the Saba content browser by clicking the Preview Content link from this page.

Once you have imported the content (assuming it has not passed its expiration date), learning offerings can subscribeto it (making it available to learners).

Importing Secure Content

To protect the security of sensitive information, content can be delivered over secure content servers. For more informationabout secure content servers, see Secure Content Server on page 45.

For content formats that are manually deployed, you must indicate whether the content is being delivered from a securecontent server at the content inventory level.

To deliver the content in a secure mode, select the Deployed on secure server check box and enter the Security context.This applies to the following content formats:

• AICC• Deployed SCORM• URL• File

For content formats that are automatically deployed to a Saba content server, the system will automatically determinewhether the content server is defined as secure. Thus, for these content formats, the Deployed on secure server checkbox and Security context field are not displayed on the Import Content page. This applies to the following contentformats:

• SCORM Package• IMS• Directory

Importing Various Content Formats

Saba Content supports the following content formats:

• AICC on page 59• Deployed SCORM on page 59• SCORM Package on page 60• Zip File on page 60• File on page 60• IMS Package on page 61• Saba Offline on page 61


• URL on page 61• Centra Recording on page 61

The sections below describe how to import each content format. For more information about the various content formats,see Tracking vs. Non-Tracking Content on page 22.

AICC

To import AICC content, enter the following details on Import Content page.

1. Select the radio button for URL or Course Structure Files depending on how your AICC-compliant content isprovided.

• If your content is provided as a URL, select the URL radio button, and enter the full URL name.• If the content is provided as four AICC course structure files (*.AU, *.CRS, *.CST and *.DES), select Course

Structure Files radio button and click the browse button to select each of the files into the appropriate fields.

To import AICC content using course structure files as secure content, see Importing Secure AICC Using CourseStructure Files on page 59.

Note: All the course structure files should have the same file name.

2. Optionally, enter the Absolute URL.3. Select the Deployed on secure server check box, if the content is to be delivered in a secure mode.4. Enter the security context for secure content if the Deployed on secure server check box is selected.5. Check the Use AICC Bridge check box to indicate whether the AICC Bridge has been installed on the content server

where the content is hosted. For more information about AICC Bridge, refer to Installing Saba Remote ContentServer.

6. In the Other Information section, enter data for any additional fields configured by your system administrator.7. Click Import.

Importing Secure AICC Using Course Structure Files

You can import AICC content on a secure content server using course structure files by doing one of the following:

• Modify the file name field in *.au file so that it uses a URL pointing to the file store on a secure content server toaccess the deployed AICC content. The URL would be of the format:

http://<secure_content_server_name>:<secure_content_server_port>/gatekeeper/<relative_path_to_file_store>/<aicc_start_html_file>

• Modify the file name field in *.au file to contain the AICC start html file name only and then use the following valuefor the absolute URL field on the Import Content page:

http://<secure_content_server_name>:<secure_content_server_port>/secure_content_server/gatekeeper/store_id/app_id/<relative_path_to_file_store>

Deployed SCORM

If you are importing SCORM content which is already deployed on an appropriate content server, choose DeployedSCORM as the content type on the Content Details page. Enter the following details on the Import Content page.

1. In the Manifest Access URL field, enter a URL pointing to the IMS Manifest file already deployed on the contentserver.

Note: The SCORM Launch servlet must be installed on the content server machine.

2. You may optionally provide the content's launch URL; if you do not, Saba will find this URL from the manifest.3. Select the Deployed on secure server check box, if the content is to be delivered in a secure mode.4. Enter the security context for secure content if the Deployed on secure server check box is selected.


5. Click the E-Signature Required check box to indicate whether an e-signature should be required to audit completionof the content by each learner.

Note:

Saba does not support e-signatures for SCORM 2004 edition 2 and edition 3 content.


SCORM Package

If your content is provided as a SCORM package (ZIP file), choose SCORM package as the content type on the Contentdetails page. In the Import Content page, enter the following details:

1. In the Zip File field, use the browse button to select the package file to import.

Note: The package file must be in ZIP format.

2. In the Content Server field, use the picker to select the content server onto which you want to unpack the contentpackage.

For information about defining content servers, see Configuring Content Servers on page 40.

Note: The SCORM Launch servlet must be installed on the content server machine.

3. Click the E-Signature Required check box to indicate whether an e-signature should be required to validatecompletion of the content by each learner.

Note:

Saba does not support e-signatures for SCORM 2004 edition 2 and edition 3 content.


Saba imports the package into the asset store and then extracts all files and deploys them to the specified content server.

Note: SCORM Package content can be made available for offline consumption by selecting the Available Offlinecheck box on the content inventory details page. This check box is displayed on the Content Details page, afteryou import the content.

Zip File

To import a Zip file, enter the following details on Import Content page.

1. In the Zip File field, use the browse button to select the ZIP file containing the files. It must expand to a singledirectory, which may or may not contain subdirectories.

2. In the Content Server field, use the picker to select the content server on which the files will be deployed.3. Enter the Starting File for the content, specified as a path relative to the directory being uploaded. (For example, if

the file is in the top directory, you would simply provide its filename.) The starting file is the file that will be displayedfirst when a user launches the content.


Saba deploys the content on the specified server. When users launch the content, the specified start file is opened.

File

To import a File, enter the following details on Import Content page


1. In the File field, use the browse button to select the ZIP file containing the files. It must expand to a single directory,which may or may not contain subdirectories.

2. In the Content Server field, use the picker to select the content server on which the files will be deployed.3. In the Other Information section, enter data for any additional fields configured by your system administrator.4. Click Import.

If you are uploading a file, you must specify the file name and location, and a Saba content server. Saba uploads the fileand deploys it to the specified server.

IMS Package

To import an IMS Package, enter the following details on Import Content page

1. In the Zip File field, use the browse button to select the ZIP file containing the package.2. In the Content Server field, use the picker to select the content server on which the package will be deployed.3. In the Other Information section, enter data for any additional fields configured by your system administrator.4. Click Import.

Saba uploads the package and deploys it to the specified content server.

Saba Offline

To import offline content generated by Saba Publisher, enter the following details on Import Content page

1. In the Zip File field, use the browse button to select the ZIP file containing the package.2. In the Other Information section, enter data for any additional fields configured by your system administrator.3. Click Import.

Saba stores the package in its asset store, and downloads it to the user's machine when he or she is ready to access thecontent.

URL

To import a URL, enter the following details on Import Content page:

1. In the URL field, enter the full URL path.2. Select the Deployed on secure server check box, if the content is to be delivered in a secure mode.3. Enter the security context for secure content if the Deployed on secure server check box is selected.4. In the Other Information section, enter data for any additional fields configured by your system administrator.5. Click Import.

The content is launched directly from the specified location; it is not staged on a Saba content server.

Centra Recording

To import a Centra recording, enter the following details on Import Content page:

1. In the Centra Guest Playback URL field, enter the full URL path.2. In the Other Information section, enter data for any additional fields configured by your system administrator.3. Click Import.

The Centra recording is imported into the Saba Production repository.

Editing Existing Content

You can edit an existing content item by finding it in the production repository and clicking its link. This opens thecontent inventory details page for the selected content item. It has three tabs:

• The Content Details tab lets you view and change any of the content details for the content. (The content detailsare described in Step 1: Enter Content Details on page 57.) You can add owners for the content inventory item by


clicking the Add Owner link. You can also preview the content and view the content communication log. Finally,you can change the content server or replace the content object with new content; however, this can have side-effectsif anyone is using the content (as described in Notes on Editing Content on page 62).

• The Current Subscriptions tab lists all courses and offerings that have subscribed to the content. If a catalog offeringhas subscribed to the content, then users and instructors can launch the content and participate in it. If you need tore-import content, it's a good idea to look at this tab first and make sure that no catalog offerings have subscribed tothe content. If catalog offerings have subscribed to the content, it may be safer to create a new, replacement contentobject, while leaving the original content unchanged.

• The Content Metadata tab displays the metadata associated with the content item. Metadata provides informationabout content objects stored in the content repository, and can be used to search for content in the repository. Thistab is displayed only if Saba Content Management is enabled.

Notes on Editing Content

A content administrator or catalog administrator can use Saba to import and edit content. You should keep in mind thedistinction between importing a content object and "uploading" content.

When you import content, you are registering a content object with Saba. This sets up a content repository entry for it,allowing catalog items to subscribe to the content. When you import content, you may (depending on the content type)have to specify a file or files for Saba to deploy on the content server. In those cases, Saba will upload the specific fileyou choose, making a copy in the Saba asset store and deploying one or more files onto a content server. In other cases,you will not upload any files when you import content; for example, if the content is of the "URL" type, you will simplyprovide the external URL when you import the content.

Once the content has been imported, you can edit the content object by clicking on its link in the production repository.Some kinds of edits are straightforward. For example, if you change a content object's name or description, this will notaffect any offerings which may have subscribed to the content.

On the other hand, if you alter the actual content (for example, by re-uploading the content file, or by editing the deployedfiles on the content server), this can have consequences if users are already taking the content.

If a user is taking standards-compliant content (such as SCORM or AICC content), Saba can keep track of the user'sprogress. If a user has proceeded partway through a content object, then exits the content player, the content can giveSaba a "bookmark" indicating the learner's progress. The next time the user tries to open that content, Saba will ask himwhether he wants to continue from where he left off, or to restart the content from the beginning.

If the content has changed since the user stopped, this can have any of the following effects:

• If the bookmark is no longer valid (because there is no longer a lesson with the ID number specified in the bookmark),the user will have to restart the content from the beginning. This may be frustrating for the user.

• If the bookmark is still valid, Saba will let the user restart from where the user left off, regardless of what changeswere made to the content. Thus, if a user has completed part one to five of a ten-part lesson, and the contentadministrator added new material to part three, the user would be able to resume at part five and continue to the endof the lesson, without being aware that new material has been added in part three, and hence would not go throughthe new material added.

• In either case, it may be difficult to interpret users' content performance, since different users may have seen differentversions of the content. Saba can know, for example, that Joe scored 80% and Jane scored 85% on the content, butit won't be able to tell you that Joe was using a later version of the content with new material added.

For this reason, you may want to be careful about editing content which has already been subscribed to. In some cases,this is straightforward. For example, if you see that you made a spelling mistake in the content, you can probably editthe content safely. But if you are making larger changes to the content (for example, adding or deleting large amountsof material), you may want to import a new content object for the revised content, and simply use the new content forall future offerings (leaving existing offerings alone).


Mastery Score Override

For a content inventory item, you can enable the mastery score override by setting the Is Scoring check box. This enablescatalog administrators to edit and override the mastery score for content at the offering level. The Is Scoring check boxcan be set for the following content formats:

• AICC• SCORM package• Deployed SCORM

To enable the mastery score override:

1. Open Content Administration > Repositories > Production Repository page.2. Click the Browse tab and select the required content.

Note: The content must be of AICC, SCORM package, or Deployed SCORM format.

3. Select the Is Scoring check box in the Content Inventory Details page.

Note:

Changing the Is Scoring attribute for a content affects the macro-rollup of an offering. Hence the system displaysa count of the enrollments that are affected by this change.

4. Click Close on the pop-up message.5. Click Save on the content inventory details page.

Once the mastery score override is set, catalog administrators can modify the value of the mastery score. For moredetails, see the Saba Catalog Administrator Guide.

Viewing Objectives Data

For content that returns objective data, you can view the objective data when you preview the content.

To view objective data:

1. In the content repository, select content that returns objective data and click on it to open the inventory details page.2. Click Preview Content. The content is displayed in the Saba Online Player.3. Click Show Results icon.4. Click View Objectives link.

Configurable Content Completion Trigger Point

As per the AICC and SCORM 1.2 content standards, the content completion trigger point is the exitAU/LMSFinishcall. On receipt of the exitAU/LMSFinish call, the Saba application triggers the content completion check, whichin turn triggers the offering completion check. However, sometimes the content either does not send out the exit commands,or it is not received by the Saba application. To handle such situations, Saba provides the ability to configure the contentcompletion trigger point for the following content formats:

• AICC• SCORM 1.2

Saba provides the following site-level properties that relax the dependency on the exit commands for triggering contentrollup:

• Relax the requirement of LMSFinish for triggering completion check for SCORM 1.2 only


The possible values for this property are:

• 0 - No, do not relax the requirement. The system triggers completion check on receipt of LMSFinish commandfrom the content.

• 1 - Yes, relax the requirement. The system triggers completion check on receipt of LMSCommit with lessonstatus of either completed, passed or failed.

• Relax the requirement of ExitAU for triggering completion check for AICC only

The possible values for this property are:

• 0 - No, do not relax the requirement. The system triggers completion check on receipt of ExitAU commandfrom the content.

• 1 - Yes, relax the requirement. The system triggers completion check on receipt of putparam with lesson statusof either completed, passed or failed.

The default value for both the properties are '0'. To change the property setting, login as an 'admin' user and navigate toSystem Administration > System Configuration > Sites > <site name> > Content and change the required settings.

Note:

Change the default settings only if both the following conditions apply:

• The content does not send the exitAU/LMSFinish call, or the Saba application fails to receive the call.• The content sends LMSCommit/putparam only once with lesson status of either completed, passed, or failed.

Diagnostic Tool for Content Communication

Saba provides a diagnostic tool that captures the communication between Saba and trackable content. This diagnostictool logs the information exchanged between content and Saba for the last preview done during the current Saba session.The log can be viewed by content administrators for the following content types:

• AICC• SCORM Package• Deployed SCORM

Viewing the Content Communication Log

The content communication log can be viewed:

• From the Import Wizard on page 64• From the Content Inventory Details Page on page 65

From the Import Wizard

To view the content communication log from the import wizard:

1. Import content of the required type (AICC, SCORM package, Deployed SCORM).2. After importing the content, Saba displays a summary page describing the content object.3. On this summary page, click the Preview link.

Note: You need to preview the content in the production repository before viewing the log. If you do notpreview the content, then the log will be empty.

4. On the summary page, click the View Content Communication Log link. The content object does not have to bepublished to view the log.


The log displays the communication sent to and received from the content for the last preview done in the current session.The log contains information sent by Saba to the content, such as the learner's name, last lesson status, score etc. It alsocontains information sent by the content to Saba, such as the status, the score, and detailed information about the responsesto test questions.

Note: The log cannot be displayed for content types other than AICC, SCORM Package and Deployed SCORM.Hence, the View Content Communication Log link will not be visible, if you are using any other content type.

From the Content Inventory Details Page

To view the content communication log from the Content Inventory Details page:

1. From the production repository, browse to the required content object.2. Click on the content object to edit it.3. The content inventory details page opens, displaying details of the content object.4. On the content inventory details page, click the Preview link.

Note: You need to preview the content in the production repository before viewing the log. If you do notpreview the content, then the log will be empty.

5. On the content inventory details page, click the View Content Communication Log link. The content object doesnot have to be published to view the log.

The log displays the communication sent to and received from the content for the last preview done in the current session.The log contains information sent by Saba to the content, such as the learner's name, last lesson status, score etc. It alsocontains information sent by the content to Saba, such as the status, the score, and detailed information about responsesto test questions.

Note: The log cannot be displayed for content types other than AICC, SCORM Package and Deployed SCORM.Hence, the View Content Communication Log link will not be visible, if you are using any other content type.

Content Runtime Error Logs

Saba provides a mechanism by which errors that occur during the processing of runtime data and content rollup arelogged. Content administrator can view these logs and take appropriate action when needed.

The runtime error log captures the following information at the time of failure:

Available inContent RollupError

Available inRuntime ErrorProcessing

Possible ValuesInformation

YesYesDate and time of failureError Date/Time

YesYesError string that describes the problemError Message

YesYesError Source • AICCListner• SCORMListner• SCORM2004Listner• Rollup

NoYesContent Type • AICC• SCORM 1.2


Available inContent RollupError

Available inRuntime ErrorProcessing

Possible ValuesInformation

• SCORM 2004

NoYesRequest Data • AICC: HACP Request• SCORM 1.2 / SCORM 2004: XML Datagram

NoYesCommand • GetParam• PutParam• ExitAU

NoYesCMI Registration ID

(cnt_cmi_registration.id)

CMI Registration Id

NoYesCMI Session ID

(cnt_cmi_session.id)

CMI Session Id

NoYesUser session IdJsessionId

YesNoContent Context IdContext Id

YesNoContent Subscription IdSubscription Id

Content Rollup

On receipt of the following command from content, Saba triggers content side rollup to check if the learner has completedthe content:

• ExitAU (for AICC)• LMSFinish (for SCORM 1.2)

Note:

These commands are the default content completion trigger points. System administrators can configure thesetrigger points for content completion. For more details, see Configurable Content Completion Trigger Point onpage 63.

If the learner has completed the content, Saba marks the content complete and the learning item moves from Enrollmentsto Transcript.

Note: Automatic completion of learning items will not take place in case the Saba application does not receive thecompletion command from content. Hence the learning item will remain in Enrollments.

Viewing the Runtime Error Log

Content administrators can view the runtime error log as follows:

1. Open Content Administration > Repositories > Tools page and click Content Error Log in the left-hand sidebar.This displays the Error Log page.


2. On the Error Log page, you can search for error logs meeting any or all of the following search criteria:


The date range when the error was logged.From Date >=

Use the date picker to populate these fields.To Date <=

For example, to find runtime errors that were logged between 1st March 2006 and 5thMarch 2006, enter the date range as 03/01/06 to 03/05/06.

The id of the user who encountered the error while running the content.Person

Use the person picker to populate this field.

The part number of the offering for which the runtime error occurred.Offering Part Number

3. Click Search. All runtime error logs meeting the search criteria are listed. The search results display the followingdetails:

• Log Date• Log Time• User Name• Offering Part Number• Content Name• AU• Attempt Number• Command• Error• Error Source

4. Once you find the required error log, click its command link (such as GetParam PutParam, ExitAU). This displaysa pop-up window with the Request Data.

5. Click the View link of the error log. This opens a pop-up window displaying the error that occurred during theprocessing of runtime data.

Note: You can delete runtime error logs that are no longer needed by selecting the error log(s) and then clickingon the Delete button.

Learner Communication Logs

Learner communication log is a diagnostic tool that logs the information exchanged between content and Saba, when aleaner takes the content. The log helps content administrators identify the reasons for content completion issues thatoccur for specific content modules in learner registrations.

You can enable logging for content modules in learner registrations that have completion issues. When a learner consumesthe content, the communication that takes place between the content and Saba is captured in a log. You can view thelog and identify the cause of the error.

Submitting a Learner Communication Log Request

You can enable logging for content modules in learner registrations by submitting learner communication log requests.


To submit a learner communication log request:

1. Navigate to Content Administration > Repositories > Learner Communication Log > Request Submission.The Learner Communication Log - Request Submission page appears.

2. Specify the offering and/or learner and click Search. The search displays all learner registrations that meet thespecified criteria, and the content modules these registrations.

3. Select the content modules in a learner registration for which you want to enable logging.

Note:

You cannot submit multiple requests for the same content module in a registration. If there is no checkbox forsome content modules, then it implies that learner communication log request has already been submitted forthose content modules.

4. Click Submit Request. The Saba application enables logging for the selected content module in the registration.When the learner takes the content, the system captures the communication log for the learner.

You can delete a learner communication log request that you have submitted by clicking its Delete link in the actionscolumn. This removes the log request.

Viewing the Learner Communication Log

You can view the learner communication log requests that are submitted for the content modules in learner registrations.After a learner takes the content, you can view its communication log.

Prerequisites to viewing the learner communication log are:

• You must submit a request to enable logging.• The learner must take the content.

To view the learner communication log:

1. Navigate to Content Administration > Repositories > Learner Communication Log > Request Status. TheLearner Communication Log - Request Status page appears.

2. Specify the offering and/or learner and click Search. The search displays all requests submitted for the learner oroffering.

3. Click the View Log link for the required learner registration.

Note:

The View Log link is displayed only after a request has been submitted for the registration, and the learner hastaken the content.

You can delete a learner communication log request that you have submitted by clicking the Delete link for the learnerregistration. This removes the log request.

Content Compliance Testing Tool

The Content Compliance Testing Tool is a diagnostic tool intended to simplify the process of troubleshooting andcorrecting content interoperability problems by analyzing the problems and providing recommendations for correctiveactions. You can use this tool to identify content that is not compatible with Saba. The tool provides sufficient detail toidentify a problem and assist in resolving it.

The Content Compliance Testing Tool does the following:

• Validates import of SCORM 1.2 packages. It checks the manifest file and provides details for non-conformant cases.• Logs all runtime data passed by the content.


• Lists the possible values for data model elements that are set incorrectly at runtime.• Lists each data model element that is set incompletely at runtime.

The Content Compliance Testing Tool can be used in the following modes:

• Import Testing Mode on page 69• Runtime Communication Testing Mode on page 70

The Content Compliance Testing tool only works with SCORM 1.2 content packages. On import, the tool deploys thecontent on the default content server. At runtime, it plays the content in Saba Online Player using the system definedplayer template.

Import Testing Mode

In the import testing mode, the Content Compliance Testing Tool validates the content package and indicates if it ispossible to import the content package successfully into the Saba content repository. If the content package import fails,the tool displays the import log to the user and terminates. The log lists all the issues with content package and categorizesthem as errors or warnings. For information on errors and warnings, see Classification of Issues as Errors and Warningson page 69.

Once the tool successfully tests the content package, the tool launches the content and validates the runtime data. Formore information, see Runtime Communication Testing Mode on page 70.

Classification of Issues as Errors and Warnings

In the import testing mode, issues with the content are classified as errors or warnings.

Issues with content are classified as errors if:

• Saba cannot import the content package• Content import works, but content is not displayed on launching it.

For example, content import fails if the manifest file is not at the root of the content package.

For a complete list of cases for which the Content Compliance Testing tool logs errors, see When are Errors Logged?on page 69.

Issues with content are classified as warnings in cases where the content package or manifest file is not conformant tothe SCORM 1.2 specifications, but Saba allows the import of the package.

For example, if the <organization> element of the manifest file does not having a <title> element, both content importand launch will work, but the structure inside Saba Player TOC will have a mismatch, as there is no title specified fororganization element.

For a complete list of cases for which the Content Compliance Testing Tool logs warnings, see When are WarningsLogged? on page 70.

When are Errors Logged?

The Content Compliance Testing tool logs an error in the following cases:

• Content Packages

• The manifest file is not at the root of the content package.• The manifest file is not a valid XML document.

The XML document should contain matching start and end tags, it should contain a root element, the attributevalues should be enclosed in double quotes ("), and the attribute values should not be repeated.

• <manifest> Element

• The manifest element is not the first, outermost element inside the manifest file.• The first, outermost <manifest> element does not contain a <resources> child element.


• <organization> Element

• There is no default organization specified in the content package and the value for the identifier attributeof the first <organization> element is empty.

• The default <organization> element does not contain any <item> element.• There is no default organization specified in the content package and the first <organization> element does not

contain any <item> element.• The default <organization> element does not have an identifier attribute.• There is no default organization specified in the content package and the first <organization> element does not

have an identifier attribute.

• <item> Element

• The <item> element does not have an identifier attribute.• For <item> elements having identifierref attribute specified:• The value of the identifierref attribute should refer to the identifier attribute of one of the <resource>

elements in the manifest, or• The value of the identifierref attribute should refer to the identifier attribute of one of the <resource>

elements in the sub-manifest, or• The value of the identifierref attribute should refer to the identifier attribute of sub-manifest• The leaf <item> element does not have an identifierref attribute.

• <resource> Element

• The <resource> element that is referenced by the <item> element, does not have an identifier attributespecified.

• The <resource> element that is referenced by the <item> element, does not have a href attribute specified.• The href attribute value for the <resource> element that is referenced by the <item> element, does not refer to

an external URL and the package does not contain the resource specified by the href attribute.

Once the content compliance testing tool logs an error, it stops testing and exits.

When are Warnings Logged?

The Content Compliance Testing Tool logs warnings for the following cases at import time:

• The name of the manifest file is not in proper case (imsmanifest.xml).• The first, outermost <manifest> element has more than one child <organizations> element.• The first, outermost <manifest> element does not contain a child <organizations> element.• The first, outermost <manifest> element has more than one child <resources> element.• The default <organization> element does not contain a <title> child element.• The same identifier attribute value is used by more than one <item> element in a content package.• The <item> element is defined outside the <organization> element.• The <item> element does not contain a <title> child element.• The <item> element contains more than one <title> child element.• In case of a resource package, a <resource> element has an href defined, but no identifier attribute defined.

Runtime Communication Testing Mode

In the runtime communications testing mode, you can test the communication that takes place between content and Sabaduring runtime. In this mode, you can launch and preview content using the Saba Online Player. The tool captures allruntime communication data during the session, and displays a log with the information in an easy to read format. Thisenables you to see the information that is being exchanged.

The Content Compliance Testing Tool logs the runtime data as you progress through the content. If incorrect runtimedata is set, the log lists all possible valid values for the specific data model elements. Also, for incomplete runtime data,


the log lists all the data model elements that do not have any runtime data. For more information, see Handling VariousRuntime Cases on page 71.

Handling Various Runtime Cases

The Content Compliance Testing tool provides information about the incorrect usage of the SCORM API in the followingruntime cases:

• Content not calling LMSInitialize() or calling other API functions like LMSSetValue, LMSGetValue before callingLMSInitialize().

• Content not calling LMSFinish().• Content calling LMSInitialize() twice.• Content calling LMSSetValue() on read-only data model elements.• Content calling LMSGetValue() on write-only data model elements.• Content calling LMSGetValue() on data model category or element that does not support _children.• Content calling LMSGetValue() on data model category or element that does not support _count.• Content passing an invalid data model element, for example in LMSSetValue or LMSGetValue call.• Content calling LMSSetValue() on a keyword like _children, _count.• Content setting a value which exceeds the maximum length of the data model element.• Content setting a value that is not within its bounded vocabulary of possible values. For example, setting a value for

cmi.core.exit other than time-out, suspend, logout, or empty string• Content setting an element value which is out of range for that element. For example, setting a value for

cmi.core.score.raw not in range {0, 100}.• Content setting time in wrong format. For example, setting a value for cmi.core.total_time not in the format

"HHHH:MM:SS.SS".• Content setting wrong index for the data model element. For example, setting cmi.interactions.1.id instead of

cmi.interactions.0.id for the first interaction.

Differences Between Saba's Compliance Testing Tool and ADL's Conformance Test Suite

The Conformance Test Suite provided by Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) is used to test for compliance with theSCORM specification. Saba's Content Compliance testing tool provides the following capabilities which are beyondthe scope of the ADL Conformance Test Suite:

• When content import fails, it is mostly due to non-conformant content packages. The ADL Conformance Test Suitefor validating content packages does not always provide the specific details. Saba's Content Compliance TestingTool enumerates all issues with the content package and manifest file.

• In specific cases, Saba allows the import of content, even if the content does not strictly conform to the SCORM 1.2specification. For example, Saba allows the import of content in the following cases:

• the default organization is not specified in manifest file• no title specified for organization element• no title specified for item element

These content packages can be successfully imported into Saba, although they would fail in ADL Conformance TestSuite.

• For content runtime, there are two modes of operation that can be set by the system administrator:

• Relaxed mode (SCORM Conformance is set to zero)• Strict mode (SCORM Conformance is set to one)

In relaxed mode, Saba allows content to set runtime data that does not follow the strict guidelines specified in SCORM1.2 Runtime Environment (RTE) specification for few data model elements with fixed vocabulary. For example, thedata model element cmi.core.lesson_status has a fixed vocabulary consisting of:

not attempted, incomplete, completed, passed, failed, browsed (case sensitive).


In relaxed mode, Saba does not display an error for content that sets the following as the data model element valueswhen run in relaxed mode (however, it would display and error when run in strict mode):

P, Passed, PASSED, Complete, COMPLETE etc.

• When the content sets incorrect runtime data, the Content Compliance Testing Tool provides a list of all possiblevalues for error cases. The ADL Conformance Test Suite does not provide a list of valid values.

Testing a Content Package

You can test SCORM 1.2 content packages for compatibility with Saba using the Content Compliance Testing Tool, asfollows:

1. Open Content Administration > Repositories > Tools page and click Content Compliance Test in the left-handsidebar. This displays the Content Compliance Test page.

2. Click the Browse link to browse your local disk or network and select the content package to be tested.

Note: The content package must be in SCORM 1.2 format.

3. Click Start Test.

On successful completion of import, a message is displayed, prompting you to run through the content completely.Click OK and run through the content.

If import testing is not successful, then no runtime testing is done.

4. On validating the content package, the tool displays the Content Compliance Test - Summary page with thefollowing details:

The name of the content package.Content Package

Saba currently supports compliance testing for SCORM 1.2 packages only.Content Format

Displays any one of the following three possible import statuses:Import Status

• Success• Error• Warnings

Note: The runtime status of the content is not displayed on the Content Compliance Test - Summary page.You should click on the View Errors/Warnings link for information on the runtime status.

5. Click the following links to open the log:

• View Detailed log

The detailed log displays information about all interactions that take place between content and Saba, includingthe error cases, warning cases and success cases.

• View Errors/Warnings

The Error/Warnings log displays information about only the error cases and warning cases.

Note: You can save the Detailed log and the Error/Warning log to your local disk or network by openingthe log and selecting File > Save As... using the browser menu options.


Viewing Content Results

Learners can view the content results for an offering that they have enrolled for. The results information for SCORM2004 content includes information about your content attempts. For all other content formats, including SCORM 1.2,content attempt does not apply as the lessons are individually attempted. For detailed information on how to view thecontent results, see the Learning User Guide.

Content States

A content inventory item in the Saba content repository can be in one of the following statuses:

Table 15: Content States

DescriptionStatus

The content is available for subscriptions. Learners can consume the content. The Publishedstate can be changed to On Hold or Purged.

Published

The content consumption is temporarily suspended. The content is not available for subscrip~tions. The On Hold state can be changed to Published.

On Hold

The state of the content once the expiration date for the content is reached. The content isavailable for consumption, but not for subscriptions. Offerings that have already subscribed to

Expired

the content continue to offer the content. Knowledge Base content in Expired state cannot belaunched by users. The content state can be changed from Expired to Purged.

The content is not available for consumption or subscription. Knowledge Base content inPurged state cannot be launched by users.Content in Purged state cannot be edited, and thestate cannot be changed.

Purged

Subscribing to Content

A learning offering can subscribe to content in the Production Repository and Knowledge Base. This makes the contentavailable to learners and instructors who are registered for that catalog item.

To subscribe to content, open the learning offering and click on the Attach Content link. For more information see theCatalog Administrator Guide.

Consuming Content

Content can be consumed through the learning catalog. To consume content that is attached to an offering in the learningcatalog, the user must first register for the learning offering. Standards compliant content consumed through the learningcatalog can be tracked. It sends back results information to Saba, which is stored in the system and can be viewed andanalyzed through reports.

For more information on consuming content, see the Learning User Guide.


E-Signature for Auditing Content Completion

You can use e-signature to audit the action of content completion for standards-compliant content. When a personcompletes a standard-compliant content that requires e-signature, the system prompts the user to enter a password. Thisadditional security layer verifies the individual completing the content.

Note:

Content formats such as AICC, and SCORM 2004 Edition 2 and Edition 3 do not support e-signature.

For non-standards-compliant content, Saba provides the sign off capability to ensure that a learner signs off on contentcompletion. For detailed information about sign off, see Sign Off Capability for Content Modules in an Offering on page74.

To set up e-signatures for content completion:

• The business rule for e-signatures must be enabled. For more information, see the System Administration Guide.• Auditing for the content inventory component audit action Sign Off for a given content must

be enabled and set to either 'E-signature reason required' or 'E-signature reason notrequired'. For more information, see the System Administrator Guide.

• The E-Signature Required check box should be selected for the standard-compliant content inventory item.

The system prompts the learner for an e-signature on content completion and creates an audit trail entry.

Sign Off Capability for Content Modules in an Offering

Saba provides sign off capability on completion of non-standards-compliant content modules in an offering. The signoff capability prevents automatic completion of the content modules on content launch for non-standards-compliantcontent. If sign off has been set to Required for a non-standards-compliant content module in an offering, then once alearner completes the content, the learner needs to sign off to indicate that the learner has completed the content.

Sign off capability can be set for non-tracking content modules in an offering. The following non-standards-compliantcontent formats support sign off capability:

• File• Directory• URL• IMS Package• Centra Recording• Zip File

The following standards-compliant content formats do not support sign off capability:

• AICC• SCORM Package• Deployed SCORM

Sign off capability impacts content module completion, and hence offering completion. Offering completion is drivenby the automatic completion rule for an offering. If automatic completion for an offering is not allowed, then sign offonly marks the content module complete; it does not move the offering from the enrollments to the transcripts.

Sign off capability is different from the e-signature required setting on a content inventory object. For information aboute-signature, see E-Signature for Auditing Content Completion on page 74. Security privileges for mark completion arenot needed, and do not affect sign off capability.


Setting Up Sign Off Capability

To set up sign off capability for non-standards-compliant content:

• System administrators must enable auditing on the content inventory component audit action Sign Off for agiven content. System supports all levels of auditing.

• Catalog administrators must select the Sign Off Required check box while adding content modules to an offering.If an offering contains multiple content modules having both standards-compliant content modules such as AICCor SCORM, and non-standards-compliant content modules such as File, URL or Directory, then the sign offrequirement is applicable only for non-standards-compliant content and is ignored for standards-compliant content.

Note:

If auditing was enabled, and then disabled after sign off has been set for a content module, then the Sign and Exitlink on the Online Player, and the Sign Off link on the Enrollments page performs no action.

Signing Off on Content Completion

Learners need to sign off on completion of non-standards-compliant content, if Sign Off is set as Required for thecontent module in the offering.

Learners can sign off on content completion by clicking any one of the following links:

• Sign Off link for the content from the Enrollments page.• Sign and Exit link on the Online Player

Note:

The 'Sign & Exit' link is only provided with the System Defined player template. This link is available only ifthe Player template has the Navigation bar enabled.

Saba provides the following sign off statuses:

Table 16: Content Completion Sign Off Statuses

DescriptionSign Off Status

Not applicableN/A

Sign off needed, but learner has not launched the content.Required

This link is displayed when content is completed by the learner, andsign off is pending. The learner can click this link to sign off. This

Sign Off

marks the content module complete and checks for offering comple~tion.

Content completed by the learner and signed off.Signed Off

Purging Content Inventory Items

You can purge content inventory items in the Production Repository and Knowledge Base. When a content is purged,the physical files are removed from the content server and asset store. Learning offerings cannot subscribe to purgedcontent, and learners cannot consume content in purged state.

After a content inventory item is purged:


• The status of the content inventory item is displayed as Purged. The status cannot be changed.• You cannot update the content details and metadata of purged content, you can only view it.• You cannot attach the purged content to an offering. Offerings cannot subscribe to content that is in purged state.• Purged content that is attached to a course or delivery type are not inherited by any new offerings that may be created

from the course or delivery type.• If an offering contains purged content, then the new registrations for the offering do not contain the purged content.• You cannot preview the content as it is not available.• Learners cannot complete the offerings that contain purged content. Hence, catalog administrators must redefine the

completion criteria for the offering by disabling or deleting the content modules in purged state. Once this is done,learners can complete the offering.

• Existing registered learners cannot launch content that is in purged state as the launch link is disabled. The ProgressReport page for the enrollment displays the Module Availability status for purged content as Not available.

• You cannot create new MRAs and surveys using purged content. Existing MRAs and surveys containing purgedcontent need to be replaced with new MRAs and surveys.

To purge a content inventory item:

1. Navigate to Content Administration > Repositories page.2. Choose the repository where the content resides: Production repository or Knowledge Base.3. Navigate to the required content folder within the selected repository.4. Click the content inventory item that you want to purge. The Content Inventory Details page for the selected

inventory item is displayed.5. The Status field displays the current status of the content. Click the Edit link in the Status field.6. The Current Status pop-up page is displayed. Select the radio button Change Status to "Purged".7. Optional: If the content is currently used in the system by a learner, then you can choose not to purge the content by

selecting the check box that appears depending on the type of content:

• Do not purge the content if there are active enrollments that contain this content.

Or

• Do not purge the content if there are surveys, evaluations or multirater assessments that contain the content.

8. Click Change.9. A message is displayed stating that the change to content status will take effect only after you save the content. Click

OK. The Status field displays the status as Purged.10. Click Save. The status of the content changes to Purged.


Chapter

6Managing the Knowledge Base

The Saba Knowledge Base is a repository of content that can be consumeddirectly by end users, without having to register for learning offerings. Learning

Topics:

• Maintaining Folders in KnowledgeBase

offerings can also subscribe to content in the Knowledge Base, and learners canconsume it through the learning catalog.

• Finding Content in the KnowledgeBase

• Managing Content in theKnowledge Base

• Managing your Interest Lists• Publishing Saba Centra

Recordings to the KnowledgeBase

• Susbcribing to Content• Consuming Content in the

Knowledge Base

Maintaining Folders in Knowledge Base

You can define a taxonomy structure in the Knowledge Base and maintain it. This taxonomy helps in the classificationof content within the Knowledge Base.

For more information, see:

• Creating Content Folders on page 78• Editing Content Folders on page 78• Deleting Content Folders on page 78

Note: This topic assumes that you are in the Content Administration > Repositories > Knowledge Base >Browse page.

Creating Content Folders

Folder structures within the Knowledge Base are used to group content. You can create your own folders as follows:

1. Select the folder within which you want to create your new folder.2. Click on the New Sub Folder link. The New Content Folder pop-up page is displayed.3. Enter the name of the new folder.4. The Security Domain field displays the default domain. You may change the security domain of the folder if required.5. Click Save.

A new sub folder is created within the selected parent folder.

Editing Content Folders

You can edit existing folders and change its name or security domain. To edit a folder:

1. Select the folder that you want to edit.2. Click on the Edit Folder link. The Content Folder Details pop-up page is displayed.3. Edit the required folder details.4. Click Save.

Deleting Content Folders

You can delete a content folder that do not contain any content objects or sub folders.

To delete a folder:

1. Select the folder to be deleted. The delete icon appears next to it.2. Click on the delete icon. The delete confirmation pop-up is displayed. Click OK.

The selected folder is deleted.

Finding Content in the Knowledge Base

You can find content in the Knowledge Base by browsing it or by using search.

To browse the Knowledge Base, open Content Administration > Repositories > Knowledge Base page and click theBrowse tab.

78 | Content Administrator Guide | Managing the Knowledge Base

To search for a particular content object, open Content Administration > Repositories > Knowledge Base page, andclick on the Search tab. You can search by any or all of the following criteria:


Name of the content object.Name

Enter the first few characters of the content object name. The search finds all content objectsthat start with the string you enter.

Content format of the content object.Content Format

Select a content format from drop-down list of system-supported content formats.

The type of content.Content Type

Use the drop-down list to select a content type.

The date range in which content is published.Available from >=

Use the date picker to populate these fields.Available from <=

For example, to find content published to the Knowledge Base in the month of January2007, enter the date range as 01/01/2007 to 01/31/2007.

The date range in which content is modified.Last Modified on >=

Use the date picker to populate these fields.Last Modified on

<= For example, to find content in the Knowledge Base that was modified in the month ofJanuary 2007, enter the date range as 01/01/2007 to 01/31/2007.

The folder within the Knowledge Base where you want to search for the content.Folder Name

The version number of the content.Version number

The search displays all content that match the specified version number.

The status of the content. For example, available, on hold or expired content.Status


The language in which the content is published.Language

Enter the first few characters of the language. The search finds all content objects that startwith the string you enter.

The keyword associated with the content. The keyword is a metadata used to classify thecontent.

Keywords


The author of the content.Author


Content Administrator Guide | Managing the Knowledge Base | 79


The competency associated with the content.Competency

Use the competency picker to find and select the required competency.

The name of the content provider that provides the content.Content Provider

The delivery vendor is the application that plays the content. Choose the delivery vendorfrom the drop-down list. Choose Saba to find content that plays in the Saba player; chooseNative to find content that plays in a native player (such as Internet Exporer).

Delivery Vendor

The owner of the content.Owner

Select this checkbox to find content where the reimport of updated content failed. This fieldis only applicable for content imported into Saba using the OLSA integration feature.

OLSA Asset UpdateFailed

Enter your search criteria and click Search. If you enter more than one criteria, the search returns only those contentobjects which match all the criteria you entered. If you leave all fields blank, the search returns all content objects.

The search results are displayed in a list (possibly across several pages). You can edit a content object by clicking onits link. You can delete a content object by clicking its Delete (trash can) icon.

Managing Content in the Knowledge Base

Content is stored within folders in the Knowledge Base. You can import content into the Knowledge Base, edit existingcontent and delete content.


• Importing Content on page 80• Editing Content on page 82• Deleting Content on page 83

Importing Content

There are two ways to capture content into the Knowledge Base:

• Importing existing external content

Saba provides an import wizard that enables you to import content into the Knowledge Base. For detailed importprocess, see Importing External Content on page 80.

• Publishing content from a project.

Using Saba Content Management, you can publish content from a project within the development repository to theKnowledge Base. For information on publishing content, see the Saba Content Management Guide.

When you import content, you also deploy the content on content servers. The content can be deployed on secure contentservers. For more information, see Importing Secure Content on page 82.

Importing External Content

You can import external content directly into the Knowledge Base, from your local disk or network or from a webaddress. To import existing external content into the Knowledge Base:

1. Open the Content Administration > Repositories > Knowledge Base page and click the Browse tab.2. Select the folder where you want to import the content.


Note: You cannot import content to the root Knowledge Base root folder. You can import content to any subfolder within it.

3. Click the Import link. This launches the import content wizard. The wizard has two pages:

• Step 1: Enter Content Details on page 81• Step 2: Import Content on page 82

Step 1: Enter Content Details

On this page, you provide general information about the content (information which does not depend on the contenttype). Enter the following information:


DescriptionField


The security domain for the content object. To enter a security domain, click the "picker" icon.Security Domain

Note: Users will not be allowed to use the content unless they have permission to accessthe specified security domain. To make the content available to all users, choose the"world" domain.

Choose the content format from the drop-down list. On the next page of the wizard, you willenter information specific to the content format you choose.

Content Format

The player template used to launch the content.Player Template

By default, the system defined player template is selected. You can associate a different playertemplate with the content by clicking on its picker icon.

Choose the content type from the drop-down list of system defined content types.Content Type

The version number for the content. The imported content will have the specified explicitversion number associated with it.

Version Number


The date on which the content will expire. The imported content would not be available forsubscription and cannot be consumed beyond this date.

Expiration Date


The folder within the repository where the content is imported. You cannot edit this field. Ifyou want to import content into a different folder, you have to cancel this operation and choosea different folder.

Parent Folder

The name of the content vendor that provides content. Select the name of the content vendorfrom the drop down list of content providers configured in the Saba system.

This field is optional, and applicable only if the OLSA Integration functionality is enabledby your system administrator.

Content Provider


DescriptionField

Choose the delivery vendor from the drop-down list. If you select Saba as the delivery vendor,then the content plays inside the Saba player. If you choose Native as the delivery vendor, the

Delivery Vendor

content plays in a native player (such as the Internet Explorer browser) or the content can bedownloaded and played using an associated application.

For content contributed to knowledge Base (from Home > My Learning > Knowledge Base> Contribute), the delivery vendor is set as Native by default.

Note: Secure content servers do not support Native delivery vendors.

When you have entered the required information, click Next.

Step 2: Import Content

On the Import Content page, you provide content format-specific information about the content you are importing.You would provide the location of a file or directory that you want to upload to the content store. In addition, you mayprovide information for any additional data fields defined by your system administrator. For detailed information aboutimporting different content formats, see Importing Various Content Formats on page 58.

After entering all the necessary information, click Import to upload the content to the content store. Once you finishimporting the content, Saba displays a summary page describing the content object. In addition, you can preview thecontent in the Saba Player by clicking the Preview Content link from this page.

Once you have imported the content, any user in Saba can consume the content directly from the Knowledge Base.

Importing Secure Content

Content can be delivered over secure content servers. For more information about secure content servers, see SecureContent Server on page 45.

At the content inventory level, the following deployed content formats may be delivered in a secure mode:

• AICC• Deployed SCORM• URL• File

To deliver the content in a secure mode, select the Deployed on secure server check box and enter the Security context.

At the content server level, the following content formats may be delivered in a secure mode:

• SCORM Package• IMS• Directory

Thus, for these content formats, Deployed on secure server check box and Security context field are not displayed onthe Import Content page. If a content server is defined as secure, all content deployed on it will be secure.

Editing Content

You can edit an existing content item by finding it in the Knowledge Base and clicking on its link. This displays thecontent inventory details page for the selected content item. It displays the following:

• The Content Details tab lets you view and change the content details for the content. (The content details aredescribed in Step 1: Enter Content Details on page 81.) You can add owners for the content by clicking the AddOwner link. You can preview the content. You can also change the content server or replace the content object withnew content. The deep-link URL is displayed.


• The Current Subscriptions tab lists all courses and offerings that have subscribed to the content. If a catalog offeringhas subscribed to the content, then users and instructors can launch the content and participate in it. If you need tore-import content, it's a good idea to look at this tab first and make sure that no catalog offerings have subscribed tothe content. If catalog offerings have subscribed to the content, it may be safer to create a new, replacement contentobject, while leaving the original content unchanged.

• The Content Metadata tab lists the content type, content format, author, description, language and keywords forthe content item. You can also view the existing competency and add new ones.

To return to the Knowledge Base, go to the end of the page and click Return to Repository.

Deleting Content

You can delete an existing content item by finding it in the Knowledge Base and clicking on its Delete icon (trash can).The delete confirmation pop-up is displayed. Click OK to delete the content item.

Managing your Interest Lists

An interest list is a list of users who have signed up for a particular content category in the Production Repository, orKnowledge Base. This list can include users such as learners and content administrators. Members of the interest listreceive a notification with an embedded content link, each time content is added or updated within the content category.


• Signing up for an Interest List on page 83• Viewing Your Interest List on page 83• Removing Items from your Interest List on page 83

Signing up for an Interest List

You can sign up for an interest list associated with any folder in the Knowledge Base or Production Repository. To adda folder to your interest list, select the content folder and click on Add to Interest List link. The selected folder is addedto your interest list. Whenever a content is added or modified within this folder, you will receive a notification.

Viewing Your Interest List

You can view your existing interest lists. This enables you to view the content folders in your interest list and delete thefolders that are no longer relevant to you. To view your interest list, click on My Interest List link. This displays MyInterest List pop-up, listing all the content folders that you have signed up for.

Removing Items from your Interest List

You can remove items (content folders) from your interest list that are no longer relevant to you. You can delete itemsusing any of the following methods:

• Select the folder in the Knowledge Base taxonomy structure that you want to remove from your interest list. Clickon Remove from Interest List link. This link is displayed only if the selected folder is part of your interest list.

• View your interest lists by clicking on My Interest List link and click the delete icon (trash can) corresponding tothe folder you want to delete.

Once you remove a content folder from your interest list, you will stop receiving notifications when content is added orupdated within this content folder.


Publishing Saba Centra Recordings to the Knowledge Base

Saba users can schedule, launch, and record Centra online meetings using the Saba Centra capability available in theheader bar. In particular, users can:

• Schedule meetings to occur either immediately or at some specified time in the future.• Invite participants to the meetings.• Launch the meetings.• Record the meetings.• Publish the recordings to the Knowledge Base. Saba users with access to the Knowledge Base can play back the

recordings at any time.

If recording capability is enabled for the scheduled sessions, then the event Leader has the option to record the event.

If the Auto Publish Recording option (in the Meeting Details) is set to Yes, then the recording of a session is automaticallypublished to the Centra Recording folder in the Knowledge Base when the recording is completed.

If the Auto Publish Recording option is set to No, the meeting owner receives an email notification when the recordingis completed. The meeting owner can then manually publish the recording through the meeting entry in the owner'spersonal calendar. To publish the recording to the Knowledge Base manually, the owner must have the 'Can Contributeto Knowledge Base' security role.

Susbcribing to Content

A learning offering can subscribe to content in the Production Repository and Knowledge Base. This makes the contentavailable to learners and instructors who are registered for that catalog item.

To subscribe to content, open the learning offering and click on the Attach Content link. For more information see theCatalog Administrator Guide.

Consuming Content in the Knowledge Base

Any user in Saba can consume content in the Knowledge Base directly, without the overhead of registering for thelearning item. Learners can also consume content in the Knowledge Base through the learning catalog, by registeringfor an offering that subscribes to the content.

For information on consuming content in the Knowledge Base, see the Saba Learning User Guide.


Chapter

7Detect and Fix Tool

This chapter describes the detect and fix tool that resolves content completionissues in learner registrations.

Topics:

• Overview• Detect Process• Fix Process• Fix Queue• Violations• Detect and Fix Dashboard• Detect and Fix Log Repository• Viewing Details of Registrations

Updated• Ad Hoc Detect and Fix Requests

Overview

The Detect and Fix tool detects content rollup failures in learner registrations and fixes them. This tool runs periodicallyat a scheduled time and frequency. You can also submit ad hoc requests to detect and fix content rollup issues for specificlearner registrations.

Note:

The tool cannot be used if content developers manipulate the exitAU command to manage completion.

Reasons for Content Completion Failures

Content completion failures can result in a learner's enrollment not moving to the transcripts, after the learner completesall required content modules attached to the offering. Offering completion failure can further affect learner certificationsand curricula completion.

There are multiple reasons for completion failures, some of which are listed below:

• Communication drop due to network issues that result in the content completion call not reaching Saba.• Incorrect content inventory setup such as scoring content not sending a score, or mastery score missing.• Badly authored content.


The Detect and Fix tool supports the following content formats:

• SCORM 1.2• AICC

Detect Process

The detect process identifies content-level rollup failures, and offering-level rollup failures in learner registrations. Theperiodic event Initiate Detect Process triggers the detect process.

In addition to the scheduled detect process, you can also submit ad hoc requests to detect and fix content completionissues for specific learner registrations. For details, see Ad Hoc Detect and Fix Requests on page 91.

Content administrators can view the following details for each scheduled run of the detect process:

Table 18: Detect Process Details

DescriptionInformation Displayed

The status of the detect process. For detailed information, see Detect ProcessStatuses on page 87.

Run Status

The time period for which the detect process runs. By default, the detect processstarts at a predefined time everyday. The end time may vary depending on thenumber of records processed.

Run Start Time

Run End Time

This information is applicable only for a detect process that is in-progress. Itdisplays the date and time when the detect process last processed an item. For a

Run Last Notification On

detect process that is in-progress, this field helps identify if the detect processis active, or not. If this field is not being updated for a long time, and detect Run

86 | Content Administrator Guide | Detect and Fix Tool


Status is still in-progress, then it indicates that the detect process may not beactive.

The period for which the detect process scans all the content attempted bylearners from their enrollments and transcripts. The detect process automaticallycomputes this period.

Content Attempt Review PeriodFrom

Content Attempt Review Period ToNote:

The first run of the detect process scans all content attempted by learnerson the previous day.

The number of learner enrollments and transcripts inspected by the detect process.Registrations Scanned

On completion of the detect process, content administrators and super users receive the email 'Rollup Failure DetectionNotification'.

Detect Process Statuses

The detect process can have any one of the following run statuses:

Table 19: Detect Process Statuses

DescriptionRun Status

When the periodic notification Initiate Detect Process is trig~gered.

Started

When the detect process scans learner registrations for the detection ofrollup issues. Only one detect process can run at any given point of time.

In Progress

If one detect process is in-progress, and another detect process is triggered,this newly triggered process terminates itself, as a detect process is in-progress currently.

When the detect process is completed successfully.Successful

When the detect process fails.Failed

Fix Process

The fix process fixes the rollup failures identified by the detect process, and updates learner registrations. The periodicevent Initiate Fix Process triggers the fix process.

The fix process also handles ad hoc requests for fixing rollup issues in learner registrations. For details, see Ad HocDetect and Fix Requests on page 91.

Content administrators can view the following information for each scheduled run of fix process:

Table 20: Fix Process Details


The number of learner registrations successfully updated by the fix process.Successfully Processed

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The number of learner registrations having rollup issues that were not resolvedby the fix process.

Unsuccessfully Processed

The number of learner registrations that do not require any fix.No Action Required

The number of learner registrations that are currently being processed.In Progress

The number of learner registrations that are yet to be processed.Pending Processing

The number of learner registrations that were processed unsuccessfully, and arepending retry. For registrations that were not fixed, the fix process automaticallymakes three attempts to fix them.

Pending Retry

It displays the date and time when the fix process last processed an item. Thisfield helps identify if the fix process is active, or not. If this field is not beingupdated for a long time, then it indicates that the fix process may not be active.

Queue Last Accessed On

The number of learner registrations that have moved from enrollments to tran~scripts, with a completion status of Successful.

Click on the number link to view details of all the registrations that have beenmarked complete as successful.

Registrations - Marked Complete asSuccessful

The number of learner registrations that have moved from enrollments to tran~scripts, with a completion status of Unsuccessful.

Click on the number link to view details of all registrations that have been markedcomplete as unsuccessful.

Registrations - Marked Complete asUnsuccessful

Fix Queue

The Fix Queue is a holder used by the system to store items that need to be acted upon by the fix process. It holds alllearner registration to be inspected for completion. This includes learner registrations with rollup failures that areidentified by the detect process, and also includes ad hoc detect and fix requests.

When the fix process runs at the scheduled frequency, it processes the items in the fix queue and fixes them.

To view the status of the fix queue, click the Fix Queue Status link on the left navigation bar under Detect and Fix. Itopens the Fix Queue Status page displaying the following information about the state of fix queue items:

Table 21: Fix Queue Details

DescriptionFix Queue Information

Count of fix requests in the fix queue that are not yet processed.Pending Processing

Count of fix requests in the fix queue that are currently being processed.In Progress

It displays the date and time when the fix process last processed an item.This field indicates whether the fix process is running, or not.

Queue Last Accessed On

The Fix Queue Status page displays the following information about the fix process schedule:


Table 22: Fix Process Schedule Details

DescriptionFix Process Schedule Information

The status of the periodic event Initiate Fix Process. This eventtriggers the fix process at the scheduled time. This event is enabled bydefault.

Status

The date and time when the event Initiate Fix Process last oc~curred.

Last Run

The date and time of the next scheduled occurrence of the event InitiateFix Process'

Next Scheduled Run

This page also displays the status of the Notification Server. As periodic events trigger the detect process and fix process,the notification server must be up to initiate the detect process and fix process.

Violations

Violations are learner registrations having rollup failures caused due to content setup issues. Such registrations containcontent that is set as scoring, but no mastery score is defined for the content, and no mastery score is defined in theoffering where the content is attached.

After a learner completes the content, the system logs the status and score correctly, but completion does not happen.This is because the system does not have a mastery score to compare the learner's score against. Hence completion isnot triggered.

The fix process cannot handle violations. The system does not enter a request in the fix queue for violations. It can onlybe resolved by correcting the setup that caused the issue.

You can correct the content setup as follows:

• Set the mastery score for the content in the offering.• Correct the scoring property of the content, if a mastery score based completion is not required.

Note:

The above corrections do not trigger a completion check. Use Ad Hoc Detect and Fix Requests on page 91 tocorrect the learner registration status.

Viewing Violation Logs

For information about violations, refer to Violations on page 89.

To find Detect and Fix cycles containing violations:

1. Navigate to Content Administration > Repositories > Detect and Fix > Violation Log > Run List. The Detectand Fix - Content Setup Violation Log page appears.

2. Specify the date range in which you want to find Detect and Fix logs, and click Search. The search results displayall Detect and Fix logs containing violations in the specified date range. For each log, it displays the run ID, rundate, and number of violations in the log.

3. Click the View Details link for a log to display information about the violations reported in the log.

If one registration has two content modules, and violation is logged for both these content modules, then the ViolationLog displays the Violation Count as 2. When a user clicks the View Details link for a Violation Log, details of bothcontent modules are displayed.


You can also find violations for a specific content, or content format by navigating to Content Administration >Repositories > Detect and Fix > Violation Log > Search Violation.

Detect and Fix Dashboard

The Detect and Fix dashboard displays information about the latest scheduled run of the detect and fix tool. If a detectprocess is started, or is in-progress, then the dashboard displays information about this run. If there is no active detectprocess, then the dashboard displays information about the most recent detect process that occurred. For details aboutthe information displayed on the dashboard, see:

• Table 18: Detect Process Details on page 86• Table 20: Fix Process Details on page 87

To view details about earlier detect and fix runs, see Detect and Fix Log Repository on page 90.

Detect and Fix Log Repository

The Detect and Fix Log Repository stores information about all detect and fix runs.

You can search for Detect and Fix logs based on the following criteria:

• Date Range• Run Status

The search results display all Detect and Fix logs that meet the specified search criteria.

To view the details of a particular Detect and Fix cycle, click on its Run ID link. It opens the Detect and Fix - RunDetailed Summary pop-up page. This page displays the following information:

• Summary of the Detect and Fix Run on page 90• Transcripts Updated in the Detect and Fix Run on page 90• Violations in Detect Run on page 90

Summary of the Detect and Fix Run

The Summary tab displays information about the selected Detect and Fix cycle.

Transcripts Updated in the Detect and Fix Run

The Transcript Updates tab displays information about learner registrations that have moved from enrollments totranscripts as a result of the detect and fix made in the cycle. It displays the following information:

• Learner whose transcript has been updated.• The course ID, title, and offering ID for which the update was made.• The offering completion status for the learner.• The learner's score for the offering.• The date when the learner completed the offering.

Violations in Detect Run

For information about violations, refer to Violations on page 89.

The Violation Log displays the following information:

• Learner whose registration contains rollup issues that is not fixed.


• The content that caused the rollup issue.• The content version and content format.• Scoring content or non scoring content.• The cause for the failure.

Viewing Details of Registrations Updated

When content rollup failures are detected and fixed, it can result in the learner registrations moving from the enrollmentsto transcripts, as a result of the fix made.

The information about the number of registration that have been marked complete as successful or unsuccessful by thelast Detect and Fix run are displayed on the Dashboard. To view details about the learner registrations updated by thetool, click on the number link on the Dashboard.

For example, to view all the registrations that have been marked complete with a registration status of successful, clickits number link. The system displays the Registrations Completed - Successfully pop-up page. Similarly, click thenumber link to view registrations that have been marked complete as unsuccessful.

The Registrations Completed pop-up page displays the following information:

• Learner who completed the offering• Course ID and Title• Offering ID• Completion status• Score• Completion Date

Details of registrations updated in previous detect and fix cycles are present in the Log Repository. For more information,see Transcripts Updated in the Detect and Fix Run on page 90.

Ad Hoc Detect and Fix Requests

Ad hoc detect and fix requests can be submitted for learner registrations that have completion issues. Such requests areplaced in the fix queue. When the fix process runs, it processes these ad hoc requests, along with the items in the fixqueue.

Request Statuses

Ad hoc detect and fix requests that are submitted can be in any one of the following statuses:

Table 23: Request Statuses

DescriptionRequest Status

The request has been submitted, but the fix process has not yet processedthe request.

New

The fix process is currently processing the request.In Progress

The fix process has processed the request, and no fix is needed for the re~quest.

No Action Required


DescriptionRequest Status

The fix process processed the request and the learner registration has beenupdated successfully.

Successfully Processed

The fix process processed the request, but could not resolve the issue.Unsuccessfully Processed

Submitting Ad Hoc Detect and Fix Requests

To submit an ad hoc request to detect and fix a learner registration:

1. Navigate to Content Administration > Repositories > Detect and Fix > Submit Detect Request. The Detect andFix - Request Submission page appears.

2. Enter your search criteria and click Search. The Saba application displays learner registrations for the specifiedoffering and learner.

3. Select the required registrations. If a detect and fix request has already been submitted, then you cannot select theregistration and submit a request again.

4. Click Submit Request.

The Saba application enters a request in the fix queue to fix the content completion issue. When the fix process runs, itfixes the completion issues for the requested learner registrations.

Viewing the Status of an Ad Hoc Detect and Fix Request

To view the status of an ad hoc detect and fix request:

1. Navigate to Content Administration > Repositories > Detect and Fix > Detect Request Status. The View DetectRequest Status page appears.

2. Enter your search criteria and click Search.

The Saba application displays the learner registrations for which ad hoc requests have been submitted. The RequestStatus column displays the status of each request. For details about what these status indicate, see Table 23: RequestStatuses on page 91.


Chapter

8OLSA Integration

Open Learning Services Architecture (OLSA) is a service oriented architectureinitiative intended to simplify the effort required to integrate SkillSoft learningservices with any Learner Management System (LMS) or portal of choice.

Topics:

• Overview• OLSA Integration Process

OLSA is a proprietary standard owned and managed by SkillSoft. OLSA isavailable for SkillSoft-hosted content installations.• OLSA Integration Set Up

• OLSA Vendor Configuration• Synchronization Set Up• Synchronization of Assets• Vendor State Management• Content Management• Known Limitations• Synchronization Cycle

Troubleshooting

Overview

This section covers the following topics:

• OLSA Services Supported by Saba on page 94• What are Assets? on page 94• Asset Integration Service on page 94• Features of the Integration on page 94• Benefits of the Integration on page 95

OLSA Services Supported by Saba

Saba provides support for the Asset Integration Service described in version 1.2 of the OLSA Integration Guide.

What are Assets?

An asset refers to SkillSoft hosted content. It is a lightweight representation of the actual content and contains metadataabout the content.

An asset represents the following types:

• Static content

This is traditional courseware.

• Dynamic content

This is an URL pointing to some remote server feeding content. The tracking data goes to the OLSA system, andminimal tracking data is sent back to the Saba LMS.

• Advanced content

This is content that launches other content. Tracking data goes to the OLSA system, and minimal tracking data issent back to the Saba LMS.

The assets are imported into the Saba content repository using AICC metadata files.

Asset Integration Service

The Asset Integration Service of OLSA enables the Saba LMS to process external content and import it into the Sabacontent repostitory. The service provides capabilities for automating the management of the assets.This service enablesSaba to initially retrieve all of the assets it is entitled to, and overtime keep the Saba system up-to-date with any changesto its entitlement, such as additions of new assets, updates to existing assets, and deletion of obsolete assets.

Assets imported using this service are compliant with the AICC standards. The launch URLS point back to the OLSAsystem. OLSA mediates access to the SkillSoft-hosted content.

Features of the Integration

The OLSA integration implements the following features in Saba:

• Bulk import of assets from OLSA-compliant content providers.• Import of assets into the Saba Production Repository or Knowledge Base.• Periodically update the Saba content repository to reflect the updates made to the SkillSoft hosted content.• Synchronize the assets from the content publisher with the Saba content repository either manually when required,

or automatically at a set frequency.• Log management capabilities that enable content administrators to monitor the synchronization cycle.

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• Support for multiple content vendors, and vendor state management.• Bulk management of the imported assets.

Benefits of the Integration

The OLSA integration provides the following benefits:

• The Asset Integration service of OLSA enables bulk import of content hosted by third-party systems such as SkillSoft.The service provides AICC install files for SkillSoft-hosted content, and the Saba LMS uses the standard AICCmechanism to natively install, launch and track SkillSoft-hosted content.

• Provides a transparent process to load assets information into the Saba content repository and maintain it, reducingthe effort required to import and maintain external content manually.

• Content imported into the Saba content repository from SkillSoft is available for subscription and consumption. Thecontent launches using the AICC URL provided in the content metadata. The physical files reside in the externalsystem. OLSA sends the tracking data to the Saba LMS.

OLSA Integration Process

Integration with an OLSA-compliant content provider involves the following steps:

1. OLSA Vendor Set Up

System administrators must perform the following tasks to set up the OLSA vendors:

• Enable the OLSA Integration functionality• Set up notification events• Set site level properties

For more information, see OLSA Integration Set Up on page 96.

2. OLSA Vendor Configuration

Content administrators must define OLSA vendors in Saba.

For more information, see Configuring Content Vendors on page 119.

3. Synchronization Set Up

Content administrators must set up the synchronization. The synchronization may be done manually at any time, orcan be scheduled to run at a set frequency.

For more information, see Synchronization Set Up on page 98.

4. Synchronization the Assets

Integrate the assets from the OLSA-compliant content publishers with the Saba content repository.

For detailed information, see Synchronization of Assets on page 100.

5. Manage the Imported Assets

Content administrator can manage the assets imported from the OLSA system to the Saba content repository. Theassets are AICC-compliant. The content physically resides in the OLSA system, and are not transferred to the Sabasystem. The launch URL points back to the OLSA environment.

For more information, see Content Management on page 105.

Content Administrator Guide | OLSA Integration | 95

OLSA Integration Set Up

System administrators must set site level properties, enable OLSA functionality, and set up notifications for OLSAintegration.

This section covers the following:

• Functionality Set Up on page 96• Notification Set Up on page 96• Site Level Property Set Up on page 97

Functionality Set Up

System administrators must enable the OLSA Integration functionality. This is the master switch that enables theintegration of OLSA-compliant content publishers with the Saba system.

Once the OLSA Integration functionality is enabled, you can configure new OLSA content vendors and update existingones.

If you disable the OLSA Integration functionality after you have created OLSA type content vendors, then the impactis as follows:

• you cannot create new OLSA content vendors.• asset integration cycles of existing OLSA vendors are disabled.• existing OLSA vendors do not appear in the content provider field drop- down list during content import.• existing content vendors appear in the content vendor search results.• you can change the state of existing OLSA vendors.• you can change the states of imported assets.• learning offerings can subscribe to the assets that are already imported into the repository, and learners can launch

the content.

Notification Set Up

Saba has predefined events that can be used to perform actions and to send e-mail notifications.

Note:

The Notification Server must be running for synchronization cycle to run.

Table 24: Predefined Events for Content Vendors

DescriptionEvent TypeEvent

This event is triggered when a content administrator changesthe state of a content vendor.

triggeredContent Vendor State Changed

This event is triggered when a content administrator initiates amanual synchronization of the assets.

triggeredTrigger Synchronization

Note:

This event must be kept enabled to trigger manual synchro~nization.


DescriptionEvent TypeEvent

This event is triggered when the system completes the synchro~nization cycle.

triggeredSynchronization Cycle Complet~ed

This event is triggered when the system terminates the synchro~nization cycle. This may happen when another instance of thesynchronization process is active.

triggeredSynchronization Cycle Terminat~ed

This event initiates the automatic synchronization of assets atthe frequency set by the content administrator. For example, if

periodicInitiate Synchronization

the automatic synchronization has been set to occur every 2days, then this event initiates the synchronization of assets everyalternate day.

Note:

This event is disabled by default. If automatic synchroniza~tion is set up, then this event must be enabled.

Site Level Property Set Up

System administrators must set the following site level properties:

• Synchronization Process Step Latency Multiplier

Default value: 1

Possible values: Any positive integer

This latency period in the synchronization cycle is calculated by multiplying this integer value by ten minutes. Thesynchronization process terminates if any synchronization process step is inactive for a period greater that the latencyperiod, and another synchronization cycle is initiated.

For example, if the property Synchronization Process Step Latency Multiplier is set to 2, then the latency periodfor each synchronization step is set to 20 minutes in the system. When any process step is inactive for more that 20minutes, and another synchronization cycle is initiated, then this synchronization process terminates.

• Synchronization Wait Period Between Attempts

Default value: 2 minutes

Possible values: positive integer in minutes

This property configures the wait period between communication calls to the OLSA system. In the synchronizationprocess, the Saba system communicates with the OLSA system during the following steps:

• Initiating handshake• Polling• Acknowledging

For example, if the property Synchronization Wait period Between Attempts is set to 3, then the system waits for3 minutes before it attempts to communicate with the external system again for a handshake, or to poll for the assetszip file, or to send an acknowledgement.

• Synchronization Number of Attempts

Default value: 10

Possible values: Positive integer

This property configures the maximum number of times that Saba attempts to communicate with the OLSA systemfor a handshake, for polling, or for sending an acknowledgement.


For example, if the property Synchronization Number of Attempts is set to 7, then the maximum number of timesthat Saba attempts to communicate with the OLSA system during a process step is 7.

• Synchronization Call Timeout Period

Default value: 3 minutes

Possible values: Positive integer in minutes

This property configures the binding timeout period in minutes for communication calls to OLSA system.

For example, if the property Synchronization Call Timeout Period is set to 5, then the communication calls toOLSA system time out after 5 minutes.

• Temporary Directory for the file upload and download

This property specifies the temporary directory used by all content services and components. The contents from theOLSA system is downloaded to this temporary directory. In a clustered environment, specify a shared networkdirectory that is accessible by all the nodes in the cluster.

Asset Store Configuration

Content administrators must ensure that the asset store is configured correctly. The Content File Access URL and thePhysical Directory must be set correctly. The asset store is used during content import. It serves as an archive foruploaded content. For information on how to configure the asset store, refer to Configuring the Asset Store on page 38.

OLSA Vendor Configuration

You can configure OLSA vendors for the integration of OLSA-compliant content providers with Saba. For detailedinformation about how to configure OLSA vendors and manage them, refer to the chapter Configuring Content Vendorson page 119.

Synchronization Set Up

The asset integration service of OLSA enables Saba to import content provided by OLSA-compliant content providersinto the Saba content repository, and maintain the assets over a period of time. This is done by synchronizing the assetsfrom the external OLSA system with Saba. Before you synchronize the assets, you must set up the synchronization.

The synchronization cycle can run in the following modes:

• Automatic Synchronization on page 99• Manual Synchronization on page 99

To set up the synchronization:

1. Navigate to Content Administration > Configuration > Vendor Setup. The Content Vendor page is displayed.2. Find the required OLSA vendor and click on the vendor name link to edit the vendor.3. Click Synchronization Setup.4. In the Notify Cycle Status To field, specify the person who needs to be notified regarding the synchronization cycle

status.5. In the Default Content Inventory Setting section, specify the following fields:


Table 25: Default Content Inventory Setting for Synchronization

DescriptionField

Player templates control the visual presentation of the Online Player duringruntime.These templates enforces a level of standardization for content deliveredusing Saba Online Player.

Select a player template using the player template picker.

Player Template

The security domain for the imported asset. To enter a security domain, clickthe "picker" icon.

Security Domain

Note:

Users will not be allowed to use the asset unless they have permissions toaccess the specified security domain. To make the content available to allusers, choose the 'world' domain.

The folder within the content repository where the asset is imported to. The assetscan be imported to a folder within the Production Repository or KnowledgeBase.

Destination Folder

6. Click Save.

Automatic Synchronization

Automatic synchronization is triggered automatically by the system when the scheduled interval for the periodic event'Initiate Synchronization' elapses.

Note:

For automatic synchronization, the periodic event 'Initiate Synchronization' must be enabled by your systemadministrator. This event is disabled by default.

To set up automatic synchronization:

1. Set up the synchronization by following steps mentioned in Synchronization Setup.2. Select the check box Automatic Catalog Synchronization.3. The synchronization frequency determines the frequency at which the synchronization cycle runs. Specify the

synchronization frequency as follows:

a. In the Occurs field, select either Daily or Weekly. If you select Daily, enter the number of days at after whichthe cycle needs to run. If you select Weekly, select the day of the week when the cycle needs to run.

b. Specify the Synchronization Start Date.c. Specify the Synchronization Start Time.

4. Click Save.

Manual Synchronization

You can perform a manual synchronization of the assets at any time, even if automatic synchronization is set up.

Note:

The triggered event 'Trigger Synchronization' must be kept enabled for the system to initiate the manualsynchronization cycle.

To manually synchronize the assets:


1. Set up the asset synchronization by following steps mentioned in Synchronization Setup.2. Click the Synchronize Now button from any one of the following navigation paths:3. Content Vendor Details page > Synchornization Setup tab•

• Content Vendor Details page > Synchronization History tab > Synchronize Now• Content Vendor page > Actions link for a vendor

Synchronization of Assets

Using the Asset Integration service of OLSA, Saba can synchronize the assets from an external system that providesOLSA-compliant content with the Saba content repository.

Note:

Only one synchronization cycle can run at any point of time.

This section covers the following topics:

• Synchronization Process Steps on page 100• Synchronization Process States on page 101• Bulk Import of Assets on page 102• Periodic Updates on page 102• Synchronization Cycle Logs on page 103• Synchronization Fault Management on page 104

Synchronization Process Steps

The synchronization process involves the following steps:

1. Queued

In case of manual synchronization, the process is queued up for the Notification Server when the content administratorclicks the Synchronize Now button. In case of automatic synchronization, no entry is created in the notificationqueue. The synchronization process skips this step and goes directly to the next step 'In Progress'.

2. In Progress

In case of manual synchronization, the posted message is picked up by the Notification Server. In case of automaticsynchronization, when the scheduled interval for a periodic event 'Initiate Synchronization' elapses, NotificationServer initiates the processing of this event.

3. Initiating Handshake

The Saba system initiates the handshake with the OLSA system that provides the content.

4. Polling

The Saba system polls for the assets zip file from the OLSA system. Be default, the system waits for two minutesbetween each polling attempt. The default number of polling attempts is set to 10. System administrators can configurethe number of polling attempts, and the wait period between the attempts. For more information, see Site LevelProperty Set Up on page 97.

5. Downloading Contents

The Saba system downloads the Assets zip file from the OLSA system to the temporary directory specified in thecontent properties file. The zip file contains an entitlement status file at the top level, and asset folders for eachunique asset. Each asset folder contains five files with extensions .crs, .des, .au, .cst, and .ort.

6. Validating Contents


Saba validates the contents sent by the OLSA system.

7. Importing Contents

Saba system imports the contents into the Saba content repository. The assets are imported to location specified inthe Destination Folder field in the Synchronization Setup page.

8. Acknowledging

Saba system sends an acknowledgment to the OLSA system stating if the synchronization cycle ran successfully orfailed. If import of any assets fail, then a failure acknowledgement is sent to OLSA.

Note:

The synchronization cycle does not stop in case of individual import failures. System continues to process subsequentassets.

Synchronization Process States

The synchronization process can be in one of the following states:

Table 26: Synchronization Process States

DescriptionState

The synchronization process state is initiated when a content administrator triggersa manual synchronization of the catalog by clicking the Synchronize Now buttonon the Synchronization Setup page.

Initiated

Note:

There is no initiated state for an automatic synchronization cycle.

The synchronization process state is initiated when any one of the following eventsoccur:

In Progress

• the notification server picks up the posted message, and starts the manualsynchronization process.

• the system triggers automatic synchronization when the scheduled interval forthe periodic event 'Initiate Syncrhonization' elapses.

When the synchronization process completes, but import of some assets fail.Completed with Errors

When the synchronization process completes successfully, and all assets are suc~cessfully imported.

Completed Successfully

When a failure occurs, and no asset is imported successfully.Failed

A synchronization cycle is terminated when any one of the following events occur:Terminated

• the synchronization process is inactive for a period greater than the definedlatency period, and another process is initiated, then the new process terminatesthe inactive process. For details about latency period, see Site Level PropertySet Up on page 97.

• if an automatic synchronization cycle is initiated when a manual synchroniza~tion cycle is active, the new automatic synchronization cycle terminates itself.


Bulk Import of Assets

When the synchronization cycle runs for the first time, the system performs a bulk import of all the entitled assets fromthe OLSA-compliant content provider.

The imported files are stored in Destination Folder specified in the Synchronization Setup.

In the Saba LMS, the state of the imported assets are 'Published'. Like any content inventory item in Published state,offerings can subscribe to these assets, and learners can launch them.

Periodic Updates

Periodic updates ensure that the Saba LMS is up-to-date with the content provider's assets. You can set up automaticsynchronization to run at a required frequency, or you can manually synchronize the catalog any time to reflect thechanges in the content provider's assets.

After the first synchronization cycle that performs a bulk import of the assets, the subsequent synchronization cyclesonly import the changed assets. The subsequent synchronization cycles update the Saba content repository to reflectchanges in the content provider's assets such as:

• New Assets

Assets that are added to the content provider's system after the last synchronization cycle ran. The new assets areimported into the Saba content repository.

• Modified Assets

Assets that are modified after the last synchronization cycle ran. The modified assets are re-imported into the Sabacontent repository.

• Not-entitled Assets

Assets that have changed to not-entitled after the last synchronization cycle ran. The status of these assets in theSaba content repository change to 'Purged'.

Table 27: Vendor States and Impact on Synchronization Cycle on page 102 summarizes all the asset states in the OLSAsystem, and the corresponding states in the Saba content repository.

Table 27: Vendor States and Impact on Synchronization Cycle

Content Inventory State (in SabaContent Repository)

DescriptionAsset State (inOLSA system)

PublishedThe synchronization cycle imports this content.Entitled

PurgedThe synchronization cycle does not import this content. Ifthe asset state has changed after it was imported into the

Not-Entitled

Saba content repository, then the next synchronization cycleupdates the content status in the Saba repository to purged,so that the content is not available for subscriptions andconsumption.

PublishedThe synchronization cycle reimports modified assets. Themetadata of the content inventory item is updated to reflectthe changes to the asset in the OLSA system.

Modified

Note:

If reimport fails, then the content inventory item inthe Saba content repository is flagged as OLSA AssetUpdate Failed and a warning is displayed on theContent Inventory Details page. Such content is not


Content Inventory State (in SabaContent Repository)

DescriptionAsset State (inOLSA system)

available for consumption, although it is in publishedstate in the Saba content repository. It is available forsubscription as it would get imported correctly in thenext synchronization cycle. You can manually uncheckthe OLSA Asset Update Failed checkbox, but youcannot check it again, once you have saved the con~tent.

Synchronization Cycle Logs

The Synchronization History tab displays details about each synchronization cycle. You can view the followinginformation on this page:

• Start date/time of each synchronization cycle• End date/time of each synchronization cycle• Process cycle status• The total number of assets in the cycle.• The number of assets processed, the number of assets that failed, and the number of assets processed successfully.• The last process step that occurred in the cycle, and the date and time when it occurred.• The process message stating the reason for failure if any.

For any synchronization cycle, you can perform the following tasks from the Actions column:

• View asset logs• Download the assets file• Delete synchronization cycle logs.

Viewing Asset Logs for a Synchronization Cycle

You can view the logs of all assets that were downloaded in a synchronization cycle from the Synchronization Historypage by clicking Actions > View Assets. On this page, click the Show failed assets only checkbox to view only theassets that failed in the synchronization cycle.

You can delete the logs of individual assets as follows:

• click the Delete link in the Actions column for the asset.• Select the asset logs that need to be deleted, and click the Delete button.

Downloading the Assets File

You can download the assets zip file that was sent from the content provider for a synchronization cycle, and store iton your disk or network for booking purposes.

To download the assets file in a synchronization cycle, click the Actions link for the cycle and click Download AssetsFile.

Deleting Synchronization Cycle Logs

From the Synchronization History page, you can delete the synchronization cycle logs that are no longer needed.

To delete a synchronization cycle log:

• click the Delete link in the Actions column for the synchronization cycle.• Select the cycle logs that need to be deleted, and click the Delete button.


Synchronization Fault Management

You can recover the failed assets by performing a manual synchronization of the assets. The synchronization reimportsthe modified assets, including the failed assets.

Note:

You cannot recover individual failed assets.

The system maintains the failed asset course structure files as backup for book-keeping purposes. The zip file containingthe asset files is archived for each cycle using Saba's attachments mechanism. This file is backed-up in all cases.

Vendor State Management

An OLSA type content vendor in Saba can have one of the following statuses:

Table 28: OLSA Vendor Statuses

DescriptionStatus

This status indicates that the content vendor is not active and cannot be used. OSLA typevendors in this state do not provide asset integration services.

To activate a draft vendor, you must manually change the content vendor status to Active.

Draft

You can delete content vendors in draft state.

The status of the content vendor once activated. The content vendor services are available.OSLA type vendors provide asset integration services. You can change the

Active state of a OLSA vendor to Suspended or Discontinued.

Active

This state indicates that the services provided by the content vendor are temporarily on hold.Catalog synchronization cycle is suspended. The content imported from the vendor is On Hold.Catalog offerings cannot subscribe to the content, and learners cannot launch the content.

Suspended

The suspended state of a content vendor can be changed to Active or Discontinued.

This state indicates that the services provided by the content vendor are permanently disabled.Catalog synchronization services are not available.

Discontinued

Once a content vendor is discontinued, the status of the content vendor cannot be changed.Change the content vendor status to discontinued only if you do not intend to use the contentvendor henceforth.

Table 29: Vendor States and Impact on Synchronization Cycle on page 104 lists the content vendor states in Saba andthe impact it has on the catalog synchronization cycle and the imported assets.

Table 29: Vendor States and Impact on Synchronization Cycle

State of Imported AssetsSynchronization CycleVendor State

No imported assets, as the asset integration servicesnot available.

Not availableDraft


State of Imported AssetsSynchronization CycleVendor State

The imported assets can be in one of the followingstates:

EnabledActive

• published• on hold• purged

The imported assets in the Published state changeto On Hold.

SuspendedSuspended

While discontinuing the vendor, the system givesyou the option to either purge the imported content,

DisabledDiscontinued

or not update the content status. If the status of im~ported content is not updated, then the content isavailable for subscription and consumtion, althoughthe vendor status is discontinued.

For information about changing vendor states, see:

• Suspending a Content Vendor on page 105• Discontinuing a Content Vendor on page 105

Suspending a Content Vendor

When you suspend an OLSA type content vendor, the services provided by the content vendor are temporarily on hold.The catalog synchronization cycle is suspended. The content imported from the vendor is On Hold. Catalog offeringscannot subscribe to the content, and learners cannot launch the content.

You can suspend a content vendor by changing the content vendor Status to Suspended.

The suspended state of a content vendor can be changed to Active or Discontinued.

Discontinuing a Content Vendor

When you discontinue an OLSA type content vendor, the services provided by the content vendor are permanentlydisabled. OLSA type vendors in discontinuted state do not provide asset integration services.

You can discontinue a content vendor by changing the content vendor Status to Discontinued. You can discontinue avendor from the Content Vendor page, by clicking the Discontinue Vendor link that appears when you click theActions link for the vendor.

Note: Once a content vendor is discontinued, the status of the content vendor cannot be changed. Change thecontent vendor status to discontinued only if you do not intend to use the content vendor henceforth

.

Content Management

Saba provides bulk content management capabilities for assets that are imported from the OLSA-compliant system.When the entitled assets are imported in the Saba content repository, the content inventory state of the imported assetsare Published. You can change the state of all the imported assets to either Purged or On Hold.

For bulk management of imported content:


1. Navigate to Content Administration > Configuration > Vendor Setup. The Content Vendor page is displayed.2. Find the required OLSA vendor and click on the vendor name link to edit the vendor.3. Click the Content Management tab. This page displays the number of assets that were imported from the content

provider, and the state of the content. For details about the content states, see Imported Content States on page 106.4. You can change the status of imported content as follows:

• For content in Published state

Click the On Hold link in the Change Status to column to change the status of all the content inventory itemsfrom Published to On Hold.

Click the Purge link in the Change Status to column to change the status of all the content inventory items fromPublished to Purged.

• For content On Hold

Click the Published link in the Change Status to column to change the status of all the content inventory itemsOn Hold to Published.

• For content in Purged state

The purged state of content inventory items cannot be changed.

Imported Content States

Content that is imported from a content provider into the Saba content repository can be one of the following states:

Table 30: Content Inventory States for Imported Assets

State Changes PossibleDescriptionContent InventoryState

Status can be changed to either OnHold or Purged.

The content is available for subscription and consumption.Content administrators can edit the content.

This is the state of entitled assets when imported to thecontent repository.

Published

Note: If an asset is not imported correctly, then thecontent inventory item is tagged with a warning.Such content is not available for consumption, al~though it is in published state in the Saba contentrepository. It is available for subscription as it wouldget imported correctly in the next synchronizationcycle.

Status can be changed to Published.The content is temporarily suspended. The content is notavailable for subscription or consumption. Content admin~istrators can edit the content.

On Hold

No state change possibleThe content is not available for consumption or subscrip~tion. Knowledge Base content in Purged status cannot

Purged

be launched by users.Content in Purged status cannot beedited.

After import of entitled assets, if the asset state changesto 'Not-entitled' on the OLSA system, then the next syn~chronization cycle updates the content inventory state toPurged.


Content Import

When you import content from a content provider into the Saba content repository, the content metadata is stored in therepository. The physical deployment resides on the content publisher's side. You can update and delete the importedcontent.

Content administrators can control the look and feel of the content during the runtime experience, by choosing anappropriate player template for the content. Player templates control the visual presentation of the Saba Online playerduring runtime.

Content Launch

The content launches in the Saba Online Player using AICC launch. The launch URLS point back to the OLSA system.OLSA mediates access to the SkillSoft-hosted content. OLSA supports secure content delivery

The OLSA integration supports the following content launch functionality provided by Saba:

• Content launch attempt limit

Catalog administrators can set an attempt limit for the content attached to an offering. Saba checks the number oflaunches that an user has attempted, and prevents content launch after the set attempt is reached.

• Multiple launch prevention

Saba prevents multiple sessions of the same content by an user.

• Result update on content completion

On completion of content, the page refreshes with the results. As content is launched using AICC protocol, resultscommunication to Saba LMS is synchronous.

• Launch from Enrollments page and Transcripts page

For a learner, system supports content launch from the Enrollments page, and from the Transcripts page on offeringcompletion.

Content Tracking and Rollup

The external engine tracks the content and processes the results. Tracking data is sent back to the Saba LMS using AICCprotocol.

Saba does a macro-rollup of the content by examining the status and score of each content object in a learning offering,and produces a score and status for the entire offering. Learners can view the results from Saba.

As the OLSA engine tracks the content and processes the results, the content errors are not tracked. Saba captures thefollowing errors that may occur in results data handling and rollup:

• Auto synchronization cycle errors• Result reporting errors• Rollup errors

Known Limitations

OLSA integration has certain limitations. The integration does not support the following functionality that Saba provides:

• ESignature auditing on content completion not supported.

ESignature audits the action of content completion. AICC content format does not support esignatues.

• Offline content delivery not supported


The Saba Offline Player supports SCORM 1.2 content format. As the content imported from a content provider inthe AICC content format, it cannot be delivered offline.

Synchronization Cycle Troubleshooting

Table 31: Synchronization Cycle Errors on page 108 lists the possible errors that may occur during a synchronizationcycle, and the action you need to take if you encounter an error.

Table 31: Synchronization Cycle Errors

Resolution or WorkaroundProcess MessageError Condition

Provide the correct access URL, includ~ing the host name as provided by thecontent provider.

(43330) Failure occurred during OLSA communi~cation.java.net.UnknownHostException: <host~name>

Incorrect Access URL

(Host incorrect)

Provide the correct access URL asprovided by the content provider.

(43330) Failure occurred during OLSA communi~cation.The AXIS engine could not find a targetservice to invoke! targetService is Olsa_

Incorrect Access URL(Host correct but rest of theURL incorrect)

Provide the correct customer id asprovided by the content provider.

(43330) Failure occurred during OLSA communi~cation.WSDoAllReceiver: security processingfailed; nested exception is: org.apache.ws.securi~

Incorrect Customer ID

ty.WSSecurityException: The security tokencould not be authenticated or authorized.

Provide the correct password as provid~ed by the content provider.

(43330) Failure occurred during OLSA communi~cation.WSDoAllReceiver: security processingfailed; nested exception is: org.apache.ws.securi~

Incorrect Password

ty.WSSecurityException: The security tokencould not be authenticated or authorized.

On receiveing this error, Saba attemptsto communicate with the OLSA sys~

(43330) Failure occurred during OLSA communi~cation.java.net.SocketTimeoutException: Readtimed out

Network socket timeoutexception upon OLSA calls

tem again automatically. The numberof attempts and the wait period be~tween the attempts is governed by thefollowing site level properties:

• synchronization wait period• synchronization number of at~

tempts

If the error persists after the stipulatednumber of attempts, then the appropri~ate error is logged. Run the synchro~nization cycle after a periiod of time.

In this case, the assets zip file isdownloaded, the contents validated

Error occurred while sending back acknowledg~ment to OLSA: (43330) Failure occurred during

The process succeeded butnetwork socket timeout ex~

and imported into the Saba contentOLSA communication. java.net.SocketTimeou~tException: Read timed out.

ception occurred whilesending acknowledgementback to OLSA.

repository. The socket timeout excep~tion occurs at the time of sending ac~knowledgement to OLSA. If the errorpersists after the stipulated number of


Resolution or WorkaroundProcess MessageError Condition

attempts, then the entire process istermed as a failure.

Configure the Asset Store correctlybefore running the synchronizationcycle.

(43073) Failed to import Content Inventory:Communicating a Shared Vision (43209) Failedto generate TOC. Error: "java.io.FileNotFoundEx~ception: http://gauravr/pri~

Asset Store not set correct~ly

vate_/sabacr148716598635102304/csf.xml".Please make sure the Asset Storage is config~ured correctly.

Set the Media repository correctly be~fore running the synchronization cycle.

(43073) Failed to import Content Inventory:Communicating a Shared Vision (43106) Errorin local Media Repository: the local directory

Media repository not setcorrectly

'<drive>:\<ContentServers_>\private_content_serv~er' does not exist.

After recovering from the fatal condi~tions, if the synchronization process is

Process terminated on account of being inactivefor a period greater than the defined latency period.

Process inactive for a longtime.This may occur due tofatal reasons such as the inactive for a period greater than thedatabase, application serv~ defined latency period, and if anotherer, or the notification server process is initiated, then the new pro~

cess terminates the inactive process.crashing, or due to non-fa~tal reasons such as process~ing taking too long on ac~count of contention of re~sources etc.


Chapter

9Content Delivery Vendor Integration

Saba provides the ability to integrate with third party content vendors for onlineand offline delivery of SCORM compliant content.

Topics:

• Content Delivery VendorIntegration Process The Saba Content Integration Framework (CIF) enables delivery of any version

of SCORM compliant content.• Content Delivery Vendor Set Up• Content Delivery Vendor

Configuration• Supported Content Formats• Content Import• Content Launch• Content Tracking and Rollup• Known Limitations• Troubleshooting

Content Delivery Vendor Integration Process

Integration with a content delivery vendor involves the following steps:

1. Content Delivery Vendor Set Up

System administrators must set up the CIF Integration functionality.

For more information, see Content Delivery Vendor Set Up on page 112.

2. Configuration of Content Delivery Vendors

Content administrators must configure content delivery vendors for use in Saba.

For more information, see Configuring Content Vendors on page 119.

3. Import of Content into the Saba Content Repository

Content files and content metadata reside in the Saba LMS. During the content import process, content administratorsspecify the delivery vendor that launches and tracks the content.

For more information, see Content Import on page 113.

4. Content Launch

When a learner launches the content, the content plays in the content vendor player that was set during the importof content.

For more information, see Content Launch on page 115.

5. Content Tracking and Rollup

When learners take the content, the tracking data and completion data are stored in the content vendor engine. Whena learner exits the content vendor player, the tracking data and completion data are sent back to the Saba LMS.

For more information, see Content Tracking and Rollup on page 116.

Content Delivery Vendor Set Up

System administrators must enable the CIF Integration functionality. This is the master switch that enables the integrationof content delivery vendors with Saba.

Once the CIF Integration functionality is enabled, you can configure new content delivery vendors and update existingones.

The impact of disabling the CIF Integration functionality after the creation of CIF type vendors is as follows:

• you cannot create new CIF vendors.• you can edit existing CIF vendors.• existing CIF vendors do not appear in the delivery vendor field drop- down list during content import.• existing content vendors appear in the content vendor search results.• imported content can be launched using the delivery vendor player.

Content Delivery Vendor Configuration

You can configure CIF type vendors for the delivery of SCORM content. For detailed information about how to configurecontent delivery vendors, refer to the chapter Configuring Content Vendors on page 119.

112 | Content Administrator Guide | Content Delivery Vendor Integration

Note: The CIF type vendors do not have state management. The only state for a CIF vendor is the Active state.


Content delivery vendor integration supports the following content formats:

• Deployed SCORM• SCORM Package

Content Import

SCORM content that needs to be launched in the content vendor player should first be imported into the Saba contentrepository. During the content import process, content administrators must specify the delivery vendor. The content isdelivered and tracked by the specified vendor.

Note:

Once content is imported, the delivery vendor of the content cannot be changed.

To specify the delivery vendor during import of content into the Production Repository or Knowledge Base:

1. Select Content Administration from the Go To: drop-down menu.2. Select the repository where you want to import the content to: Production Repository or Knowledge Base.3. Select the appropriate content folder.4. Click Import. The import wizard appears.5. Enter the following content details:


DescriptionField


The security domain for the content object. To enter a security domain, click the "picker"icon.

Security Domain

Note: Users will not be allowed to use the content object unless they have permissionto access the specified security domain. To make the content available to all users,choose the "world" domain.

Choose any one of the following content formats:Content Format

• SCORM Package• Deployed SCORM

The integration supports delivery of any version of SCORM compliant content.

This field defines the player template for the Saba Online Player.Player Template

Content Administrator Guide | Content Delivery Vendor Integration | 113

DescriptionField

Note:

For a content delivery vendor, this field is ignored.

Choose the content type from the drop-down list of system defined content types.Content Type


The version number for the content. The imported content has the specified explicit versionnumber associated with it.

Version Number


The date on which the content expires. The imported content will not be available for sub~scription after this date. However, content that is already associated with an offering, canbe consumed by users after the expiration date.

Expiration Date

After this date, the content will have a status of expired.


The folder within the repository where the content is imported.Parent Folder

The content vendor that provides the content. You need to specify this field only if you areimporting content from an external system.

Content Provider

Note:

This field is used by the OLSA integration functionality. For content delivery vendors,this field is ignored.

Choose the name of the delivery vendor from the drop-down list of content vendors config~ured in your system.

Delivery Vendor

Note: You cannot change the delivery vendor after content import.

6. Click Next.7. Depending on your content format, specify the following:

• For Deployed SCORM, in the Manifest Access URL field, enter a URL pointing to the IMS Manifest file alreadydeployed on the content server.

• For SCORM package, browse and select the package file to be imported, and specify the content server ontowhich you want to unpack the content package.

Note:

The SCORM Launch servlet must be installed on the content server machine.

Click Import.

Content delivery vendor integration does not support the following fields and check boxes:

• Player Template field• Content Provider field• Security Context field


• Launch URL field• Deployed on secure server check box• E-Signature Required check box

Any data in these fields and check boxes are ignored. For more information about the limitations of integrating withcontent delivery vendors, see Known Limitations on page 116.

Content Launch

When learners take content, the player that launches the content depends on the delivery vendor set for the contentinventory item.

If the content inventory item has the Available Offline check box selected, then learners can take the content offline.Table33: Settings that determine the content player that launches the content on page 115 summarizes the SCORM versionand content inventory settings that determine the player that launches the content.

Table 33: Settings that determine the content player that launches the content

Content PlayerAvailable OfflineDelivery VendorSCORM Version

Saba Online PlayerNoSabaSCORM 1.2

Learners can choose to launchthe content in the Saba OnlinePlayer or Saba Offline Player

Yes

Content delivery vendor playerNoExternal Vendor

Learners can choose to launchthe content in the external

Yes

vendor's online player or of~fline player

Not supportedNot supportedNative

Not supportedNot supported

Saba Online PlayerNoSabaSCORM 2004


Vendor Online PlayerNoExternal Vendor

Learners can choose to launchthe content in the external

Yes

vendor online player or offlineplayer

Not supportedNot supportedNative


End User Licence Agreement

The first time a learner launches content in a content vendor player, the End User Licence Agreement is displayed.Clicking the I Accept button launches the content. This message is displayed to each learner for the first content launchusing a vendor player. The message is not displayed to a learner for subsequent content launches in the vendor player.Clicking the I Do Not Accept button does not launch the content.


Content Tracking and Rollup

When learners take content in the vendor player, the tracking and completion data are stored in the vendor engine. Thisengine owns the content tracking service that tracks users' content and computes results. The data is sent to the SabaLMS. Saba's rollup service checks for completion and marks the learning item complete. Learners can view results fromSaba.The following table lists the different levels of rollup and the engine that handles the rollup, when learners playcontent in a content vendor player:

Table 34: Content Rollup Handling Engine

EngineRollup Level

Content vendorMicro Level Rollup

This is a content level rollup that combines the status and scoresof each lesson in a content object and produces an overall statusand score for the entire object.

SabaMacro Level Rollup

This is an offering level rollup that combines the status and scoresof each content object in a learning offering, and produces a singlestatus and score for the entire offering.

Known Limitations

Content delivery vendor integration has the certain limitations. The integration does not support the following functionalitythat Saba provides:

• Vendor Online Player configuration not supported.

Content administrators cannot control the look and feel of the content in the vendor player during the runtimeexperience, as the content cannot be associated with player templates. Player templates control the visual presentationof the Saba Online player during runtime.

• Cannot launch assessments authored using Saba's Assessment Authoring tool.

Content vendor players cannot launch assessments that are authored using Saba's Assessment Authoring tool. Onlythe Saba Player supports this.

• E-signature to audit content completion not supported.

E-signature audit the action of content completion. This ensures that a learner signs off to indicate content completion.Content vendor players do not support e-signatures.

• Secure content delivery not supported.

Content vendor players do not have the ability to prevent unauthorized content access.

• Content Communication Log not supported.

Content administrators cannot view the Content Communication Log for content inventory items that have thedelivery vendor set to an external vendor. Instead, they can preview the content to view the communication log thatthe vendor engine provides.

• SCORM Conformance Mode not supported.


SCORM Conformance is a site level property that is set by system administrators. This property specifies whetherto check for strict compliance at runtime when SCORM content is accessed/launched by a learner. The SCORMConformance Mode setting has no impact on content delivery using a content vendor.

• Delay in receiving results data

On completion of content, Saba displays the results. There may be a delay in displaying the results data, as it involvesa call to an external web service, and the data sent from the content vendor side may be large.

• Tracking data deleted on reimport of content

When a content administrator reimports content into the content repository, all existing tracking data for the contentis deleted. During the reimport process, a message is displayed stating that existing tracking data needs to be clearedfor proper functioning. Clicking OK reimports the content, and deletes all existing tracking data. Clicking Cancelreimports the content, but does not delete the existing tracking data.

• Ability to take content partially offline and resume online not supported

External content delivery vendors may not provide the ability to synchronize tracking data between online and offlinecontent delivery. However, for a single attempt, online suspended attempt can be taken offline. Also, offline suspendedattempt can be taken online after synchronizing the data.

Troubleshooting

This section provides troubleshooting guidelines for the following areas:

• Content Vendor Configuration on page 117• Content Import on page 117• Content Launch on page 117• Results Reporting on page 117

Content Vendor Configuration

You can configure the content delivery vendor from Content Administration > Configuration > Vendor Setup page.

Content Import

Any errors that occur during content import or update, are displayed during the content import process. The importprocess also displays error messages from the content delivery vendor system.

Content Launch

Content launch may fail due the following reasons:

• Incorrect launch URL configuration• Content vendor system not available

Results Reporting

You can view the errors that may occur during the processing of runtime data and content rollup on the content deliveryvendor side from Content Administration > Repositories > Tools > Content Error Log page.

Failure in processing results from content delivery vendors are tagged as Content Results Service failure.


Chapter

10Configuring Content Vendors

This chapter describes how to configure content vendors.Topics:

Content vendors in Saba are used for the following:• Types of Content Vendors• Configuring a New Content

Vendor• to provide third-party content for use by the Saba LMS.• to deliver SCORM-compliant content online or offline.

• Finding Content Vendors

Types of Content Vendors

Content vendors in Saba are classified into the following types:

• OLSA

OLSA type content vendors provide asset integration services for OLSA compliant content publishers.

To define new content vendors of type OLSA, the OLSA Integration functionality must be enabled by your systemadministrator.

For detailed information about integrating with OLSA compliant content vendors, refer to the chapter OLSA Integrationon page 93.

• CIF

Content vendors of type CIF (Common Integration Framework) provide content delivery services forSCORM-compliant content.

To define new content delivery vendors, the CIF Integration functionality must be enabled by your systemadministrator.

For detailed information about integrating with content delivery vendors, refer to the chapter Content Delivery VendorIntegration on page 111.

• Saba

The system provides two predefined content vendors of type Saba: Native content vendor and Saba content vendor.The Native content vendor provides delivery of non-standards-compliant content in the default native browser, suchas the Internet Explorer browser. The Saba content vendor provides delivery of both standards-compliant contentand non-standards-compliant content using the Saba players.

You cannot create new content vendors of type Saba or edit the existing Saba type content vendors.

Configuring a New Content Vendor

You can configure new content vendors of the following types:

• OLSA

Provides asset integration services for OLSA-compliant content publishers. The assets are imported into the Sabacontent repository. Learning offerings can subscribe to the content, and learners can launch the content in the Sabaplayer or a native browser.

• CIF

Provides content delivery services for SCORM-compliant content.

To configure a new content vendor:

1. Navigate to Content Administration > Configuration > Vendor Setup. The Content Vendor page is displayed.2. Click the New Content Vendor link.

Note:

This link is displayed only if the OLSA Integration functionality or the CIF Integration functionality isenabled by your system administrator.

3. Enter the following fields for the content vendor:

120 | Content Administrator Guide | Configuring Content Vendors

Table 35: Vendor Configuration Fields

DescriptionRequired?Field

Enter the name of the new content vendor.YesName

Specify the domain of the content vendor using the domain picker.YesDomain

Enter a description for the content vendor.NoDescription

For OLSA type vendors, specify the name of the content provider.NoProvider

Select the content vendor status from the drop-down list. For OLSAtype vendors, you can specify either Draft status or Active status.For CIF type vendors, you can only specify Active status.

YesStatus

4. In the Vendor Integration Model section, select the Vendor Type from the drop-down list of system defined vendortypes.

Note:

Vendor type called OLSA is displayed in the Vendor Type drop-down list only if the OLSA Integrationfunctionality is enabled by your system administrator. Vendor type called CIF is displayed in the Vendor Typedrop-down list only if the CIF Integration functionality is enabled by your system administrator.

For OLSA type content vendors:

a. Specify the Customer ID.b. Specify the Password.

The Customer ID and Password are provided by the OLSA-compliant content provider. It is used to connectto the server that provides the content.

c. Enter the Access URL. This is the import service URL provided by OLSA-compliant content provider. SabaLMS uses this URL to connect to the external vendor system.

For CIF type content vendors:

a. Specify the Access URL. This URL communicates with the web service of the delivery vendor. Saba LMS usesthis URL to connect to the external vendor system.

b. Specify the Launch URL. This URL is used during the launch of content using the delivery vendor.

5. Optional: Click the Test URL button to test the connection to the specified URL. The Content Vendor Test AccessURL pop-up page opens stating if the system is able to connect to the specified site succesfully. Click Close.

6. Click Save.

Finding Content Vendors

To search for a particular content vendor, navigate to Content Administration > Configuration > Vendor Setup. TheContent Vendor page is displayed. You can search by any or all of the following criteria:


The name of the content vendor.Name

The status of the content vendor. For example, content vendors that are in Draft status,Active status, Suspended status, or Discontinued status.

Status

Content Administrator Guide | Configuring Content Vendors | 121



Select the vendor type from the drop-down list of system defined vendor types.Vendor Type

Specify the access URL. This is the service URL provided by the external vendors. SabaLMS uses this URL to connect to the external vendor system.

Access URL

The system that provides asset integration services or delivery services.Provider

Enter your search criteria and click Search. If you enter more than one criteria, the search returns only those contentvendors which match all the criteria you entered. If you leave all fields blank, the search returns all content vendorsdefined in the system.

The search results are displayed in a table. For each content vendor, the following details are displayed:

• Name of the content vendor• Description of the vendor• Status of the vendor• Vendor Type• Access URL• Synchronization Information (applicable only for OLSA type vendors)

You can edit a content vendor by clicking on its link. For OLSA type content vendors, you can perform the followingtasks from the Actions column.

• Discontinue a vendor that is in Active or Suspended state.• Delete a vendor in Draft state.• Manually synchronize the catalog. This is applicable only to active OLSA type vendors.

Note:

You cannot perform any action from this page for content vendors of type Saba or CIF.

122 | Content Administrator Guide | Configuring Content Vendors

Appendix

ASaba Online Player

This appendix describes how to launch Saba Online Player and navigate withinit. It also describes how to interact with content using Saba Online Player.

Topics:

• Overview of Saba Online Player• Launching Content Using Saba

Online Player• Navigating Inside Saba Online

Player• Online Player Auto Navigate and

Auto Close Capability• Online Player Exit Behavior• Fault Tolerance During Player

Launch

Overview of Saba Online Player

The Saba Online Player environment provides an interface for viewing and interacting with online content.

When Saba Content Management is enabled on your system, content administrators can configure player templates andassociate these configured templates with content.This controls the visual appearance of the player during runtime.

When Saba Content Management is disabled on your system, you cannot create new player templates. However, youcan edit the properties of the existing two player templates (Empty player template and system defined template).

Using Saba Online Player, you can send interaction data back to the system. For more information, see Sending ContentInteraction Data After Session Time-Out on page 124.

Sending Content Interaction Data After Session Time-Out

For content that support runtime tracking capabilities, you can send interaction data back to the system, using SabaOnline Player. The interaction data is sent back to the system, even if your session times out while you are completingthe content.

Launching Content Using Saba Online Player

The Saba Online Player is used to launch online content and interact with it. Any user in Saba can launch content usingthe Online Player.

To launch content in Saba, you register for the appropriate catalog item from the Saba Learning Catalog. Once yourregistration is confirmed, you launch the content as follows:

1. Go to My Saba > My Learning > My Enrollments.2. This displays all your enrollments. Click the Launch link of the required module or offering that contains the content.

This opens the Saba Online Player and launches the content.3. Navigate through the content and exit when you are finished. For information about navigating within the Saba

Online Player, see Navigating Inside Saba Online Player on page 124.

Navigating Inside Saba Online Player

When online content is launched, it plays inside the Saba Online Player. The visual appearance of the online player iscontrolled by the player template that is associated with the content.

The application ships with a single system defined player template that is associated with content by default. When SabaContent Management is enabled on your system, content administrators can configure player templates and associatethese configured player templates with content. Hence the visual appearance of the Online Player during runtime iscontrolled by the player template that is associated with the content.

When content is launched using a player template, it opens a pop-up window displaying the following:

• A navigation bar that displays the following:

• < (Previous) and > (Next) buttons.

If no content is launched, all buttons are disabled except Next button. For content that does not support its ownsequencing, the Previous button is disabled for the first SCO and Next button disabled for the last SCO. ThePrevious and Next buttons are not displayed if there is only one SCO. Clicking any button will automaticallyunload the current SCO and load the next selected SCO to the content window.

124 | Content Administrator Guide | Saba Online Player

• X (Close) button to close the player.

The online player remains open even after you have finished navigating through the content. You need to explicitlyclick the Close button to close the online player. However, for AICC or SCORM content authored using SabaPublisher, and published to the content repository with the check box The Published course will be presentedin a separate window from the LMS selected during the publishing process, the content plays in a separatewindow that closes when you exit the content.

• Show Results icon that displays the overall results for all lessons in the content. You can navigate to the resultsand attempts information for each lesson.

• The navigation bar is displayed only if content administrator has selected the Show Navigation Controls checkbox while creating the player template that is associated with this content.

• Table of Contents that displays the organization of learning items.

• For content that does not define sequencing, you can navigate through the content from the Table of Contents.• However for content that supports sequencing, the Table of Contents is just for your reference. You cannot use

the Table of Contents to navigate through the SCOs, instead you need to use navigation bar to navigate betweenSCOs.

• In the Table of Contents, lesson status icon is displayed for all items (lessons) in the Table of Contents. Clickingon the lesson status icon of a lesson opens a new window that displays information about all attempts for thatlesson.

• The currently launched content item is underlined in the Table of Contents.• The Table of Contents is displayed only if content administrator has selected the Show Table of Contents check

box while creating the player template that is associated with this content.

• Content area displays the content• A header

• The header is displayed only if content administrator has selected the Display Header check box while creatingthe player template that is associated with this content.

• The system defined player template displays the following links in the header:• References• Email• Help• Print

These links are displayed only if they are provided in Header HTML of the player template. Content administratorscan replace these links with any other links of their choice, while creating or editing the player template.

• A footer

• The footer is displayed only if content administrator has selected the Display Footer check box while creatingthe player template that is associated with this content.

• Content administrators can customize the footer. They can provide HTML code to create (or modify) footers oftheir choice.

Online Player Auto Navigate and Auto Close Capability

The auto navigation capability of the Online Player enables automatic navigation from one Lesson/SCO to nextLesson/SCO on completion of the Lesson/SCO. When the Lesson/SCO in the content makes LMSFinish call, the OnlinePlayer automatically navigates to the next Lesson/SCO.

The auto close capability of the Online Player closes the player on completion of the content. When the last Lesson/SCOin the content makes an LMSFinish call, the Online Player automatically closes.

Content Administrator Guide | Saba Online Player | 125

For more information, see:

• Behavior Matrix When Launching SCORM 1.2 Content on page 126• What Does Completion of Content SCO mean? on page 127• How is Auto Close and Auto Navigate Capability Associated with Player Template? on page 127

Behavior Matrix When Launching SCORM 1.2 Content

The matrix below describes the player behavior when launching SCORM 1.2 content using Saba Online Player templatesassociated with the new capabilities:

BehaviorPlayerTemplateAutoNavigate

PlayerTemplateAuto Close

Close Player onContentCompletion 0 -No1 - Yes

SCORM 1.2Content

User managed navigation, user initiated playerclose.

000multi SCO

On completion of a Lesson/SCO, player will auto~matically load the next Lesson/SCO in the content.

100multi SCO

The action on Exit from last Lesson/SCO is thatthe 'Please choose a navigation action' message willcome up in the content frame as there is no Les~son/SCO to load.

Player will close itself on completion of the lastLesson/SCO in the content.

010multi SCO


110multi SCO

And on completion of the last Lesson/SCO in thecontent, player will close itself.

User managed navigation. Content will close playeras defined in the content typical behavior on com~pletion of last Lesson/SCO.

001multi SCO


101multi SCO

Content will close player as defined in the contenttypical behavior on completion of last Lesson/SCO.

Content/Player will close player as defined in thecontent typical behavior on completion of lastLesson/SCO.

011multi SCO


111multi SCO

Content/Player will close player as defined in thecontent typical behavior on completion of lastLesson/SCO.


BehaviorPlayerTemplateAutoNavigate

PlayerTemplateAuto Close

Close Player onContentCompletion 0 -No1 - Yes

SCORM 1.2Content

User initiated player close.000single SCO

User initiated player close.100single SCO

Player closes itself on completion of Lesson/SCO.010single SCO

Player closes itself on completion of Lesson/SCO.110single SCO

Content/Player will close player as defined in thecontent typical behavior on completion of Les~son/SCO.

001single SCO


101single SCO


011single SCO


111single SCO

Note: For SCORM 1.2 content, user navigation request such as user making a navigation request via the TOC orNavigation control overrides "Auto Navigation" setting. The only exception to this behavior is the case when "AutoClose" setting is enabled. If a user makes a navigation choice and the current Lesson/SCO is the last Lesson/SCOin the content, then the Player closes when the Lesson/SCO notifies completion of Lesson/SCO (i.e. LMSFinishcall from the Lesson/SCO).

What Does Completion of Content SCO mean?

An SCO is completed when LMSFinish call is made by the content SCO. The timing of this call is dependent on thecontent.

How is Auto Close and Auto Navigate Capability Associated with Player Template?

For SCORM 1.2 content, you can associate the Auto Close and Auto Navigate capability with the system defined playertemplate using the following attributes:

• Close Player on SCORM 1.2 content completion• Use Auto Navigation for SCORM1.2 Content

Edit the system defined player template and select these checkboxes to associate the respective behavior with the playertemplate.

Content Administrator Guide | Saba Online Player | 127

Online Player Exit Behavior

When content is launched in the Saba player, the player may be closed automatically if the sequencer returns CourseComplete or Exit Session status in the course of navigation. Sometimes the sequencer expects the user to explicitlycomplete the content, or the user may close the player without completing the content.

The Saba Online Player is closed when you performs any one of the following actions:

• Click the Close button on the navigation bar.• Click the browser close button.

In both cases, the following exit options are displayed:

• Exit and Finish

Use this option to complete the current content attempt. The next time you launch the content, it is considered as anew content attempt.

• Exit and Resume Later

Use this option to save the current content attempt and resume it later from where you left the content.

• Exit without Saving

Use this option to abandon this attempt and start a fresh with new attempt later.

Note:

This behavior is applicabe for SCORM 2004 content only.

Fault Tolerance During Player Launch

There may be times when the content to LMS communication is broken due to client machine shutdown, server shutdown,network failure or any such failure. In such cases, the sequencer may not behave correctly when the content is re-launchedlater.

The system now checks for such scenarios during content launch. If it finds that the content attempt is incomplete andthere is no suspended activity, it suspends the current activity and then issues the Resume All navigation request. Ithelps sequencer recover from the indeterminate state caused due to communication failure.

Note:

This is applicabe for SCORM 2004 content only.


Appendix

BSaba Anywhere

This chapter describes how to use Saba Anywhere to play content offline.Topics:

• Overview of Saba Anywhere• Upgrading from Saba Offline

Player• Deployment Models• Installing Saba Anywhere• Content Consumption Mode• Prerequisites to Launching

Content Offline• Logging into Saba Anywhere• Overview of the Interface• User Tasks

Overview of Saba Anywhere

Saba Anywhere provides an interface for viewing and interacting with content offline. You can download and consumecontent offline with full tracking and synchronization capabilities.

Saba Anywhere provides the following capabilities:

• Plays SCORM content.• Works on Windows and Linux operating systems.• Provides single-user support, and multi-user support.• Displays an Enrollment page, that lists the offline SCORM packages grouped by the owning offering.• Communicates data to/from SCORM content at runtime.• Tracks and records learning results for content taken offline.• Displays attempt and interaction data.• Reports results to Saba.• Provides the ability to take content partially offline, and resume online after synchronizing the results data.• Provides the ability prevent online consumption, and notifies the user, when offline consumption is in progress and

results have not been synchronized.

Saba Anywhere Setup

You can use Saba Anywhere to play content offline only if your system administrator has enabled both the followingfunctionalities:

• Offline Delivery of Content• Saba Anywhere


The Saba Desktop Player supports the following content formats:

• SCORM 1.1• SCORM 1.2• SCORM 2004 Edition 2 and Edition 3

Upgrading from Saba Offline Player

If you have been consuming content using the Saba Offline Player, then you need to perform the following tasks beforeinstalling Saba Anywhere for offline delivery of content:

1. Complete any content that you are currently taking.2. Synchronize the results.3. Uninstall Saba Offline Player.4. Install Saba Anywhere. For details, refer to Install Saba Anywhere on page 132.

130 | Content Administrator Guide | Saba Anywhere

Deployment Models

The deployment models for Saba Anywhere are based on the location of the content store, and its accessibility to usersin the system. The content store is a local copy of the content server. The content is served to Saba Anywhere from thecontent store, not from the LMS.

The three deployment models are:

• Private Deployment on page 131• Public Deployment on page 131• Shared Deployment on page 131

Private Deployment

The private deployment model is meant for the single user system. In this model, each user has a separate content store.The content store is accessible to the logged in user; it is not accessible to any any other user in the system. When a userdownloads content, it is transferred to the content store.

Users perform the following tasks:

• Install Saba Anywhere.• Configure settings.• Download content.• Import content.• Play content.• Synchronize results back to the LMS.

This is the deployment model when a learner installs Saba Anywhere.

Public Deployment

In the public deployment model, the content store is available on a local network or server. The content is available toall users in the network. The content store replication, and Saba Anywhere installation are done by an administrator,not by the user.

Users perform the following tasks:

• Play content.• Synchronize results back to the LMS.

Administrators perform the following tasks:

• Install Saba Anywhere.• Configure settings.• Replicate and manage the content store.• Import content.

In this deployment mode, the download action downloads the tracking data, but does not download the content, as thecontent is already present in the content store.

Shared Deployment

In the shared deployment model, the content store is on the desktop or shared drive, and available to all users who usethe desktop. Users can populate the content store.

Users can perform the following tasks:

Content Administrator Guide | Saba Anywhere | 131

• Download content.• Import content.• Play content.• Synchronize results back to the LMS.

Administrators perform the following task:

• Install Saba Anywhere.• Configure settings.

In this deployment mode, the content store is populated when a user downloads content. The content can be sharedamong other users.

The users only share the content; they cannot view the data or results of other users in the system.

Installing Saba Anywhere

In the public and shared deployment model, you do not need to install Saba Anywhere, as this task is performed byyour content administrator.

In private deployment model, you can download Saba Anywhere from Saba Web and install it on your local machine.After you install the player, you can download offline content and play it even when you are disconnected from the Sabaapplication server. You do not need to download Saba Anywhere each time you download offline content.

To install Saba Anywhere on your machine, perform the following tasks:

1. Download Saba Anywhere on page 1322. Install Saba Anywhere on page 132

Download Saba Anywhere

To download Saba Anywhere installer:

1. Register for an offering containing offline content, and click on its Launch link.

The popup page How would you like to complete this content? appears.

2. Click the Download and complete offline link.

The Download and complete offline popup page appears.

3. Click one of the following links to download the Saba Anywhere installer:

• Download installer for Windows• Download installer for Linux

Install Saba Anywhere

Unzip the Saba Anywhere installer that you downloaded, launch the installer and follow the instructions to install SabaAnywhere.

For detailed installation instructions, refer to the document Installing Saba Anywhere, provided with the distribution.


Content Consumption Mode

The content Consumption Mode provides the ability to restrict online consumption when content is downloaded foroffline consumption. This does not prevent users from taking content online; it gives users the option to retain or changethe mode of consuming content. If a user chooses to retain the consumption mode as Offline, then the user cannot launchthe content online. If the user opts to change the consumption mode to Online, then the user can launch content online,but the results data stored locally is not uploaded to the application server during synchronization.

The content Consumption Mode is a content module level setting in learner registrations. The possible consumptionmodes are:

• Online

The content plays in the Saba Online Player. This is the default setting for all content modules.

• Offline

The content plays in Saba Anywhere. The consumption mode is set to Offline when a user downloads content.

If the Consumption Mode is set to Offline, and a user clicks the launch link for the content from Saba Web, then thesystem displays a pop-up page that enables the user to change the consumption mode. After switching the consumptionmode to Online, the user can continue to play the content using Saba Anywhere, but the results data is ignored duringsynchronization.

Prerequisites to Launching Content Offline

For offline content delivery, your system administrator must enable the functionality Offline delivery of content, andSaba Anywhere. In addition, your content administrator must set the attribute Available Offline for the content that isto be taken offline.

Before you launch content offline, you must perform the following tasks that require Saba LMS connectivity.

• From Saba Web, register for the offering that contains offline content.• Launch Saba Anywhere and login. The first time a user logs in, LMS connectivity is needed for authentication.• Download the content that needs to be played offline. The download action also sets the content consumption mode

to offline, and gets tracking data.

Note:

Saba Anywhere downloads content from the Asset Store which is configured in the Saba LMS.For download ofcontent, the access URL defined for the Asset Store must be resolvable at the end user system.

Logging into Saba Anywhere

Once Saba Anywhere is installed on your machine, you can login using your Saba user name and password.

To log into Saba Anywhere:

1. Click the Saba Anywhere icon on the desktop.2. Enter your Username and Password.3. Select the Saba LMS and Locale from the dropdown list.4. Click Log In.


Note:

The first time you login to Saba Anywhere, LMS connectivity is needed for authentication. Subsequent logins donot require Saba LMS connectivity to play downloaded content.

Overview of the Interface

When you log into Saba Anywhere, it displays the following tabs:

• My In-progress Learning on page 134• Now Playing on page 134• Downloads on page 135

My In-progress Learning

When you log into Saba Anywhere, it displays your In-progress Learning page, listing the learning activities that youhave registered for.

The In-progress Learning page contains:

• List of courses (offerings) that you have registered for, that contain content modules that have been marked foroffline consumption by a content administrator.

• Each offering can contain multiple offline content modules.• Each content module can contain multiple lessons (SCOs).

You can perform the following actions on this page:

• Download offline content attached to a learning activity that you have registered for. To do this, click the Downloadbutton.

• Download all offline content for the learning activities that you have registered for. To do this, click the DownloadAll icon on the toolbar, or click the menu option My In-progress Learning Activities > Download All.

• Play content that is downloaded by clicking its Play button.• Transfer results data from Saba Anywhere to the Saba application server, and synchronize Saba Anywhere with

the latest in-progress learning data from Saba Web. To do this, click the Synchronize icon on the toolbar, or clickthe menu option My In-progress Learning Activities > Synchronize Activities.

• Import offline content that you have downloaded from Saba Web to Saba Anywhere. To do this, click the menuoption My In-progress Learning Activities > Import Content Modules.

Now Playing

When you download a content and play it, the Now Playing tab opens and plays the content. It displays the following:

• Table of Contents

This displays the organization of the learning items.

• For content that does not define sequencing, you can navigate through the content from the Table of Contents.• For content that supports sequencing, the navigation is controlled by the content. Hence use navigation controls

to navigate through the content.• The Table of Contents is displayed only if the player template associated with the content has the Show Table

of Contents attribute selected.

• Content Area

The content plays in this area. The following navigation controls help you to navigate between lessons in the contentmodule:


• Click the Next button to display the next lesson in the content module.• Click the Back button to display the previous lesson in the content module.• Click the Close button to exit the content. For SCORM 2004 content, exit options are displayed instead of the

Close button, as it the only way to close the player perspective, if not automatically closed by the sequencer.

Player Template

The look and feel of the player perspective is controlled by the following attributes of the player template:

• Show Table of Contents• Show Navigation Controls

The following attributes of the player template have no impact on the player perspective:

• TOC Scrollable• Display Header• Display Footer• TOC Width

Downloads

In private and shared deployment, you can download offline content from the LMS to the content store. In publicdeployment, you do not need to download the content, as the content store is pre-populated with the content.

After you click the the Download button for a content, or you click the Download All icon from the My In-progressLearning tab, the application takes you to the Downloads tab that displays the status of your content download.

The download statuses are:

DescriptionDownload Status

The status when the download of a content starts and is in progress. Thepercentage complete for the download is displayed.

In progress

In case of bulk download, the status for a content download that isscheduled, but not yet started. During bulk download, a maximum of 4

Scheduled

content downloads occur concurrently, while the remaining contentmodules are scheduled for download.

The status when you click the Pause icon to pause the download.Paused

The status when you select the content and click the Cancel SelectedDownload button to cancel the download.

Cancelled

The status after the download is complete.Completed

User Tasks

This topic describes the tasks that users can perform using Saba Anywhere:

• Downloading Content on page 136• Importing Content into Saba Anywhere on page 136• Playing Content Offline on page 137• Viewing Results on page 137• Synchronizing Learning Activities on page 138• Setting Your Preferences on page 138


• Refreshing My In-progress Learning on page 138

Downloading Content

Before you play content, you must download the content to the content store, if the content is not already downloaded.Saba Anywhere launches content from the content store.

For downloading content, you must have:

• LMS connectivity.• Valid registration for the learning activity that contains the offline content.

You can download content by clicking the Download icon for the content from the My In-progress Learning tab ofSaba Anywhere. The Download action does the following:

• Downloads the content to the content store in Private and Shared deployment model. In case of Public deployment,the content is already in the content store, and does not need to be downloaded.

• Gets tracking data for the content from the application server.• Sets the Consumption Mode to Offline.

Bulk Download

You can perform a bulk download of all content modules that are available for offline consumption, using any one ofthe following options:

• Click the Download All icon in the toolbar of the My In-progress Learning tab.• Click the menu option My In-progress Learning > Download All Modules.

During bulk download, the content is placed in a queue. The system concurrently downloads a fixed number of contentmodules, and sets the status of the remaining downloads to scheduled. As the download of in-progress items complete,other scheduled items from the queue are picked up for download.

Note:

You can configure the maximum number of concurrent downloads from the Preferences page.

You can perform the following actions during bulk download:

• Click the Pause icon for a content to pause the download.• Click the Resume icon for the content to resume the download.• Click the Pause Queue button in the toolbar to pause the bulk download.• Click the Resume Queue button in the toolbar to Resume bulk download.• Click a content, and then click the Cancel Selected Download button to cancel the download of a content.

The system performs the following tasks:

• Downloads all content that has not been downloaded as yet to the content store.• Gets tracking data for the content from the Saba application server.• Sets the Consumption Mode to Offline.

Importing Content into Saba Anywhere

You can download content from Saba Web, or from Saba Anywhere. Offline content that you download from SabaWeb is stored on your local machine. This content has a .sabaol extension. You can import this content into SabaAnywhere by clicking the menu option My In-progress Learning Activities > Import Content Modules. The importaction copies the content to the content store. On import, the content is displayed in the My In-progress Learning taband users can play the content.


For offline content that is already present in the content store, the user has the option to overwrite the content, if the userhas not consumed the content.

Note:

You do not need LMS connectivity to perform this action.

Playing Content Offline

You can play content that has been downloaded to the content store. You do not need LMS connectivity to play thecontent. The progress information is stored locally, and synchronized when there is LMS connectivity.

To consume content offline, click the Play icon for the content on the My In-progress Learning tab. The Now Playingtab opens and displays the content.

While playing content, you can do the following:

• Navigate between SCOs by clicking on the Next or Previous buttons.• Exit the content by clicking the Close icon. For SCORM 2004 content, exit options are displayed instead of the

Close button.

For more information about the player interface, see Now Playing on page 134. The look and feel of the player perspectiveis controlled by the player template associated with the content. For details, see Player Template on page 135.

Viewing Results

After you play content, you can view its results.

To view results:

1. Click the My In-progress Learning tab.2. Click on the offering name link for the offering that contains the content.

The offering details page opens.

3. Click on a content module name link to view the results for the content that you have consumed.

Note:

For SCORM 2004 content, the results of the last attempt is displayed. To view content results for earlier attemptson the content module, click the link See Information about all previous attempts here.

The Content Results view displays the following details:

• Lesson details such as:

• Lessons in the content module.• The completion status of each lesson.• The number of attempts made for each lesson.• The date and time of the last attempt for each lesson.• The total time spent on each lesson.• The learner score for each lesson.• The mastery score for each lesson.

• Attempt details for each lesson such as:

• Lesson status and score.• Date and time of completion, and time spent in each attempt.• For lessons containing questions, you can view each question name, type of question, date and time when the

question was taken, response, result, time spent, and the question text.


Synchronizing Learning Activities

When you take content offline, the progress information is stored locally. You can upload this information to the Sabaapplication server when there is LMS connectivity.

When your learning activities has changed, you must synchronize the enrollments data from Saba Web to Saba Anywhere.For example, when you register for an offering that contains offline content, or your offering is updated, then you mustsynchronize the enrollments data in order to view the latest information on Saba Anywhere.

You can synchronize your learning activities by clicking the Synchronize button on the toolbar, or by clicking the menuoption My In-progress Learning Activities > Synchronize Activities. The system performs the following tasks:

• Sends all the local content data to the Saba application server.• Refreshes the My In-progress Learning Activities tab with the latest enrollment data from the application server.• Gets the content tracking data from the application server for offline content modules that are in-progress.

Note:

If you have taken content offline, and then launched it online before synchronizing the results, then the results datastored locally in not uploaded to the Saba application server. Results are synchronized only when the consumptionmode for the content is set to offline. For more information about consumption mode, see Content ConsumptionMode on page 133.

Setting Your Preferences

You can set preferences for Saba Anywhere from the Preferences page by clicking File > Preferences.

You can set the following preferences:

• In-progress Learning Activities and Results

Select the checkbox to synchronize your learning activities and results automatically each time you login or exitSaba Anywhere. If you do not select this checkbox, then on each login or exit, the application asks if you want tosynchronize the data.

• Maximum concurrent downloads allowed

You can limit the number of concurrent downloads that can occur during bulk download. It can range from 1 to 9concurrent downloads.

• Maximum retries for any download

In case of download failure, the system automatically tries to download the content again. You can set the numberof times the system retries to download a content.

• Logging Settings

Select the Enable Debug checkbox to enable logging. The location of the log file is displayed when you enablelogging.

Refreshing My In-progress Learning

When there is LMS connectivity, the My In-progress Learning page is refreshed each time you move between tabs,or you sort the data on this page.

On refresh, the My In-progress Learning page is updated as following:

• Newly added registrations are displayed.• For registrations that are canceled, or have moved to the transcript, the tracking data captured offline for the

corresponding modules are deleted. The corresponding content is not deleted.• Newly added content modules for a registration are displayed.


• Content modules that are disabled for a registration are deleted from the My In-progress Learning page, and thecorresponding tracking data is deleted.

• Change in the attempt limit for a content module is reflected.• Change in the number of attempts made for a content module is reflected.• Change in the Required/Optional attribute for a content module is reflected.


Index

A

Advanced Distributed Learning 71Compliance Testing 71

AICC-compliant content 30providedascoursestructurefiles 30

architecture 15asset store 38, 40

configuring 38testing 40

authoring content 19overview 19

C

capturing content 34raw media files;content types:raw media files;files:importing34

Compliance testing 68, 69, 70, 72SCORMpackages 68, 69, 70, 72

configuring Saba content 38, 40asset stores 38content servers 40overview 38

Conformance Test Suite 71Comparison 71

consumption mode 133contact information xicontent 136, 137, 138

download 136multiple download 136play offline 137upload results 138view results 137

content objects 14content security 44, 45

SSL 44URL reuse prevention 45

content server 40, 43configuring 40testing 43

content store 131content types 28, 30, 34, 35

AICC-compliant 30IMS contentpackages 34offline content;disconnected content:seeofflinecontent 35supportedformats 28table ofsupported content formats 28URLs 35zipped directory 35

contenttypes 27overview 27

contract information xi

D

deployment 131private 131public 131shared 131

deployment models 131directories 35

importing 35

E

enrollment dashboard 138uploadresults 138

I

importing content 80knowledgebase 80

IMS content packages 34inporting content 19

overview 19interest list 83

adding 83deletingitems 83joining 83managing 83viewing 83

K

knowledge base 77, 78, 80, 84consumingcontent 84creatingfolders 78deletingfolders 78editingfolders 78findingcontent 78importingcontent 80maintainingfolders 78managing 77managingcontent 80

L

lessons 14

M

managing content 54, 80knowledgebase 80overview 54

modifying content 21overview 21

Content Administrator Guide | Index | 141

O

offline consumption 133prerequisites 133

offline content 35description 35

online consumption 133restrict 133

P

participating in content 21overview 21

R

raw media files 34importing 34

repository 54browsing 54

results 137, 138synchronize 138view 137

rollup 22, 23, 24macro-rollup 24micro-rollup 23overview 22

S

Saba Anywhere 129, 130, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 138download content 135, 136Enrollment page 134import content 136installation 132interface 134log in 133My In-progress Learning 134overview 129, 130

Saba Anywhere (continued)player template 135playing content 134setting preferences 138setup 130supported content formats 130tasks 135upgrade 130

Saba Content 28, 54browsing the repository;browsing (repository) 54supportedcontentformats 28

Saba Content overview 14SCORM 31, 32

communications protocol 32content aggregation 32description 31

SCORM packages 68, 69, 70, 72Compliancetesting 69, 70, 72ComplianceTesting 68

secure content server 45security context 45

subscribing to content 20overview 20

T

tasks 17teaching classes with content 21tracking and non-tracking content 22

U

URLs 35importing 35

W

web-based training, automatic scoringof 24

142 | Content Administrator Guide | Index

Documents

Enterprise 5.5 SP1 Content Administrator Guide